T S 

2030 





Class 

Book_4JM*T 
Oopy#tN° 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Carriage Painting 



A Series of Practical Treatises 

ON 

THE PAINTING OF CARRIAGES AND WAGONS, 
EMBRACING FULL DIRECTIONS FOR THE 
PRACTICAL EXECUTION OF ALL KINDS OF 
CARRIAGE AND WAGON PAINTING, INCLUD- 
ING STRIPING, LETTERING, SCROLLING, ORNA- 
MENTAL WORK, VARNISHING, TRANSFER 
ORNAMENTS, APPLYING GOLD LEAF, ETC. : 

Each Treatise is followed with Test Questions 
: : : for the Student : : : 



By F. MAI RE 

Author of "Modern Painter's Cyclopedia," "Exterior 
Painting," "Graining and Marbling," Etc. 



ILLUSTRATED 




CHICAGO 

Frederick J. Drake & Company 

PUBLISHERS 









r <i 



$v 



Copyright 1911 

BY 

Frederick J. Drake. 



€>C!.A280984 



PREFACE. 

1. The subject matter of this volume, | 
the fifth in the series of the red manuals 
"Carriage Painting," is really too com- 
plex to be fully detailed within the space 
of a small volume of the restricted num- 
ber of pages as this is to be. There are a 
number of excellent treatises published on 
carriage painting, and outside of the 
gleaning and arrangement of the matter, 
and its presentation in the shape of les- 
sons graded and paragraphed with ques- 
tions at the end of each, each of which have 
corresponding numbers to the above para- 
graphs containing the answers to the ques- 
tions asked, the author does not lay any 
claim to, and readily acknowledges that he 
has been greatly helped and inspired by 
the previous work of others, more espe- 
cially by that of "Practical Carriage and 

17 



18 PKEFACE 

Wagon Painting" by M. C. Hillick, whose 
presentation of the subject matter is mas- 
terly done. Much of the subject matter of 
this volume has been culled and re-ar- 
ranged from that masterpiece of carriage 
painting literature and to a few others 
also, who had written up their experiences 
in some of the ' ' Trade Journals. ' ' 

F. Maire. 



Carriage Painting 

LESSON I. 

PRELIMINARY. 

2. Under the title of this manual is in- 
cluded a great deal. Heretofore, in the 
volumes of this series of trade manuals, 
the manner of using and doing painting 
has been from an entirely different stand- 
point—with an entirely different object in 
view, so much so, that much of it will have 
to be forgotten in order not to become 
biased and to have one 's mind free to adapt 
the principles which govern "Carriage 
Painting. ' ' 

Under this general name it must be re- 
membered that it is not only the painting 
of vehicles drawn by horses, such as bug- 
gies, landaus, carriages etc. that it cov- 
ers, but railway carriages, automobiles 

19 



20 CARKIAGE PAINTING 

and every form of vehicles known; there- 
fore it has become one of the branches of 
painting which covers a field of vast im- 
portance. 

The principles which lay at the foun- 
dation of carriage painting must be 
well understood in order to comprehend 
all the various operations demanded to 
produce good work. When these funda- 
mental principles are learned thoroughly, 
it will matter little upon what scale they 
may be practically put into play— whether 
in an up-stairs shop over the wheelright's 
repair shop, or in large factory rooms or 
oar shops. In the latter, every facility 
will usually be found at hand to do the 
work rapidly and freed of much of the 
annoyances usually connected with the 
small shop; but that is only a matter of 
convenience after all, for the work itself 
must be done in much the same fashion. 

It will be the object of the next lesson 
to -commence the study of the principles 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 21 

which govern carriage painting, then of 
the material and tools needed in doing the 
work, then in the several methods of do- 
ing the work itself. As nsual, the subject 
matter will be treated as much as possible 
by graduated steps, in order that it may 
be well understood by the student, and 
that he may become familiar with the vari- 
ous operations by easy steps. 

Some of the finishing parts in carriage 
painting such as striping, scrolling, decor- 
ative painting and of sign work, are made 
separate trades, or parts of trades in all 
the large carriage shops. As each of these 
would require more space than can be 
spared in this manual in order to give 
them the most elementary survey, but little 
will be said regarding them with the one 
exception: that of striping, which every 
carriage painter should be familiar with. 
The study of ornament painting and that 
of signs will form a separate manual. 
There are some excellent books published 



22 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

upon the latter in lesson form copiously 
illustrated— especially that of Atkinson's, 
and the student will do well to procure it. 
As this manual is written principally for 
the use of students who wish to take up 
the painting of carriages in the smaller 
towns, either as a separate business, or 
in connection with general painting, to fill 
up slack times, the descriptions given for 
doing the work will be found more ap- 
plicable to these smaller shops than to the 
large factories. In these everything being 
specialized, every advantage can be taken 
for doing the work quickly and safely, 
which cannot be done usually in the 
smaller repair shops— but the underlying 
principles are the same, and when well 
understood, the student would find no diffi- 
culty in understanding their application 
on a large scale, and while employed on 
general work he could not expect to ac- 
quire the speed of the men who are spe- 
cialists, working on piece work; probably 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 23 

he would soon acquire this extraordinary 
speed by practice if he »took up some spe- 
cialty. 

Having outlined the manner in which the 
subject matter will be handled in this man- 
ual, the next lesson will take up the study 
of the underlying principles of carriage 
painting. 

LESSON II. 

REASONS WHY LINSEED OIL IS SPARINGLY USED 
IN CARRIAGE PAINTING. 

3. The old adage heretofore preached 
from in former manuals, i.e. "Oil is the 
life of paint," must be forgotten to a great 
extent, when it comes to carriage painting. 
Heretofore the surfaces covered with paint 
were stationary, motionless, and with the 
exception of floors, were not subject to 
abrasion. The worst enemies were from 
atmospheric conditions, and it was shown 
that linseed oil was a capital substance to 
use as a protection against these. 



24 CAEEIAGE PAINTING 

4. In carriage painting, the principal, 
and only use made of linseed oil is in the 
priming or foundation coats. No work 
which is not filled and made waterproof 
can be expected to stand any length of 
time, and few of the many make-shifts or 
short-cut methods of painting carriages 
which ignore a generous use of it— in the 
priming at least— can be depended upon 
for lasting results in the finishing coats. 

5. The old time methods were very 
good, but were too slow for the fevered 
hurry of the present, so that it has been 
the aim of every man employed in car- 
riage painting to devise some way whereby 
an hour or two could be saved in turning 
out finished jobs. This hurry has not al- 
ways been advantageous to the durability 
of the finished work, even where the resem- 
blance of the finished, to that of olden 
times has been preserved, but the work- 
man 's protests have not been able to check 
the demand for quicker work. Given good 



CARKIAGE PAINTING 25 

material and a reasonable allowance of 
time, a medium course can be pursued in 
carriage painting, which will be found to 
give fair results, both as to a good looking 
finish or herein, the time required to do the 
same in. 

6. Were it possible to produce such a 
surface as the fastidious taste of the day 
demands, with and by the use of linseed 
oil coats— there is no question but that 
the results would be far more durable than 
they are by the other methods, but this is 
impossible. So as said before, the use of 
it made in carriage painting must be re- 
stricted to the foundation coats. These 
are not confined to the one coat or first 
coat as in structural painting, and for this 
reason it is named foundation coats, in 
order that it may not be confounded with 
what is understood as priming in former 
manuals. 

7. The middle coats used in carriage 
painting are used principally to produce at 



26 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

surface and they might very appropriately 
be called surfacing coats. They should 
consist chiefly of material which has been 
mixed with such liquids as will allow of 
their being spread easily, and which must 
possess sufficient adherence as to bind the 
material it is mixed with into a hard dry- 
ing mass capable of being leveled up to 
a smooth surface by rubbing down with 
pumice stones. These intermediary coats 
are best known in carriage work as "fill- 
ing coats." 

8. When the filling coats have been per- 
fectly leveled and smoother, then only do 
the coloring coats proper, commence in 
carriage painting. It is obvious that they 
should conform stricty to the composition 
or rather the elasticity of the compounds 
used in surfacing the work, for it is obvious 
that if the variation is any way noticeable 
the finishing color coats will surely crack 
from their inability to conform themselves 
to that of the surfacing coats under them. 



CAEEIAGE PAINTING 27 

At the present time while giving a general 
look over the scope of carriage painting it 
is not the purpose to inquire into the why 
and wherefore of things, as this will be 
done when that portion of the description 
of that part of the work is reached. The 
present synoptical viewing is merely in- 
dicative of the progressive stages through 
which a carriage passes before it is passed 
on to the repository. 

9. Carriage work is frequently striped 
and ornamented. When this is done, it 
follows upon the last color coat, and when 
completed the jobs are ready for the var- 
nishing, which completes all that the sub- 
ject matter of this manual proposes to 
treat. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON II. 

3. What is said concerning the use of 
linseed oil in carriage painting? 

4. What use is made of linseed oil 
painting chiefly? 



28 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

5. Wherein do present methods of car- 
riage painting chiefly differ from the old ? 

6. What is usually understood by 
"foundation coats" in carriage painting! 

7. What is the object and purpose of 
the filling coats ? 

8. What are the last coats of paint used 
in carriage painting called? 

9. When is the striping and ornamenta- 
tion done? 

LESSON in. 

MATERIAL USED IN CARRIAGE PAINTING. 

10. It is proper before the study of car- 
riage painting commences that the stu- 
dent be made familiar with the material, 
tools and appliances that are needed in 
doing the work. Therefore a short review 
of these will be made before proceeding to 
give the details of the various operations 
necessary to finish a job. 

The material used in carriage painting 
is an important factor in the prosecution 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 29 

of the work. As in other branches of 
painting it means that good material is 
necessary in order to obtain good results 
in the finish. It will not be necessary to 
go all over the details given in Volume III 
entitled "Colors" as to the derivation of 
each color used, and the reader is referred 
to that manual for more extended details 
regarding them. Some however, such as 
the fillers and varnishes which received 
little if any attention in that volume will 
be given sufficiently extended examination 
in this as their importance demands in con- 
nection with the subject matter. 

11. As may be expected the blacks are 
the one color of most importance to the 
carriage painter. Lampblack in oil is 
used usually for the tinting of white lead 
in the foundation coats. It is sometimes 
used in compounding some of the proprie- 
tary named black as it is so very strong 
but on account of its dull gray black 
color it must be touched up with a good 
bone black, or gas black. 



30 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

12 Gas black is extensively used in pro- 
prietary named blacks to doctor up poor 
blacks, or to compound with some cheap 
make weight material into a black which 
imitates the bone blacks in so far as cover- 
ing properties, and strength of coloring 
matter goes and pretty nearly in jettiness 
of coloring, especially the ordinary sorts of 
bone blacks. By its use a fair black can 
be had at a lower cost than by the use of 
any other black pigment. 

13. Ivory black, coach black, drop black 
are about one and the same thing— b one 
black. The finer qualities of this black 
are very good and are very intense in their 
jet tone, besides being clear and free of 
muddiness. They are sometimes improved 
by the addition of a small quantity of 
Prussian blue, but the finer qualities do 
not require it as it hurts them; in time it 
fades out, leaving the black to its own tone 
good or bad. These blacks are all of them 
rather deficient in opaqueness bone black 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 31 

being considered a sem-transparent color. 

14. The blue group of colors is used to 
a considerable extent especially in wagon 
and automobile painting. Prussian blue 
is seldom used solid, but some of its tints 
are sometimes. It is also used in com- 
pounding some of the green tints. 

Ultramarine blues of various shades of 
both the opaque, and transparent varieties 
are mostly used for painting solid colors 
as being less likely to fade than Prussian 
blue. 

15. The Brown group of colors is well 
drawn upon by the carriage painters. All 
the colors found in that group are used. 
The raw and burnt umbers and raw and 
burnt Siennas, and in rough stuffing some 
of the special earth browns called umbers 
are used, beside an endless variety of fancy 
named browns compounded from the above 
named colors mainly, and many others 
which have proprietary names. Van Dyke 
brown is sometimes used as a glaze and a 



32 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

great variety of brown and reddish brown 
lakes are also used in glazing. The stu- 
dent must not think that all the carriage 
browns that he may see listed are distinct 
colors, in reality they are only tints com- 
pounded very much in the same manner 
as the same would have to be prepared for 
house painting only that for carriage work 
the colors must not be ground in linseed 
oil but in japan or varnish. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON III. 

10. General remarks on material used 
in carriage painting. 

11. What is said regarding the black 
group of pigments, especially about lamp- 
black? 

12. What uses are made of gas black ? 

13. What is said concerning bone blacks 
including ivory, coach and drop blacks? 

14. What colors of the brown group are 
used in carriage painting? 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 33 

LESSON IV. 

MATERIALS USED IN CARRIAGE PAINTING CON- 
TINUED. 

15. The green group of colors is also 
largely made use of in carriage painting, 
but more especially in wagon and automo- 
bile work. Chrome greens in all shades; 
verdigris and Paris green for glazing, but 
more especially the very pretty greens 
(transparent) extracted from coal tar— 
some of which are excellent. In carriage 
painting proper nearly all the greens are 
compounded with blacks, and simply carry 
a cast of green the black predominating, 
such as the Brewster's greens, bottle and 
olive greens, which in addition to the black 
also carry some yellow in their composi- 
tion. The green list carries also a large 
number of proprietary named greens; as 
each manufacturer chooses a different 
name for goods of their preparing, the list 
is too formidable for each group of color to 



34 CAKKIAGE PAINTING 

attempt to even do it a partial justice in 
the naming, therefore none such will re- 
ceive any attention. It is an easy matter 
in the smaller shops to prepare and com- 
pound all such tints from stock colors and 
it will not cost as much as the carrying of 
the numberless tints that are offered for 
sale. In the large factories where jobs 
are turned out in large numbers and where 
each color must be "semper idem/' it will 
be found best to have these special shades 
made up and prepared from a regular for- 
mula at the factory. 

16. The red group of colors is also 
largely used from, in all branches of car- 
riage painting. From the amaranth reds 
used in running gear work of buggies, etc., 
to the bright vermilions used for the same 
purpose in wagon painting to which may 
be added even the painting of the beds in 
that bright garb. Then in its more sub- 
dued shades as Tuscan reds in railway car 
work and in short reds, either bright or 



CAEEIAGE PAINTING 35 

subdued are indispensable to the carriage 
painter. The naming of the reds used by 
the trade is the naming of all the leading 
reds made ; such as the English vermilions 
pale and deep. The numberless imitation 
vermilions known to the trade as Vermilion 
reds are more usually accompanied by a 
high sounding proprietary name. The 
various red oxide reds are better known as 
Venetian red, Pompeian reds, etc. The 
great variety of red or red brown lakes are 
used in glazing. Most of these are sold 
also under some proprietary name. As all 
dealers usually have color cards showing 
what the true color of the contents of a car 
looks like, it is easy enough to pick out the 
right color desired no matter by what name 
it may be called; especially if the dealer 
sells it under a guarantee of permanency. 
17. It is hard to say which of the several 
groups of color is the most useful to the 
carriage painter; all the other groups ex- 
amined were found useful, and indispens- 



36 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

able, and now that the last group of the 
colored pigments is reached ( ' ' the yellow ' ' ) 
it is found to be fully as useful and indis- 
pensible as the preceding ones. Either in 
a self color as in running gears of buggies 
carts and wagons, to the solid painting of 
railway cars on some systems, they occupy 
a very prominent place indeed. There 
seem to be no shades of it so bright but 
may be used for some purpose, and in the 
tints with white and other colors, the use 
made of the yellows is very great. The 
ochres enter largely in some of the tints 
made, and the chrome yellows in their va- 
rious shades probably predominate the 
list. The transparent yellow lakes are 
also used for glazing to some extent. 

18. The last group is the whites ; there 
is much use made of them; no jobs are 
hardly ever painted in any color no matter 
which it is, but that white lead enters into 
at least the preparatory coats. It is used 
also largely in the painting of business 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 37 

wagons, hearses, etc., in its self -color and 
in combination with other pigment in the 
preparation of a number of tints. It is 
nsed ground in oil when it is known as "keg 
lead, ' ' and hereafter when that name shall 
be used it means that kind of lead and 
it is ground in japan or varnish for paint- 
no other. Then there is the dry white lead 
used in making putty and surfacing. Then 
ing the jobs in its self color. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON IV. 

15. What is said regarding the green 
group of colors? 

16. What is said concerning the red 
groups of colors 1 

17. What is said regarding the yellow 
group of colors? 

18. What is said about whites in car- 
riage painting? 



38 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

LESSON V. 

MATERIAL. USED IN CARRIAGE PAINTING — CON- 
TINUED. 

19. Under the heading of materials used 
in carriage painting must be included any- 
thing and everything useful in connection 
with the work, not merely as a paint but in 
preparing the way for it as well. This ac- 
cessory material is as necessary in its place 
as is any of the other and should require 
as much attention and care in the buying. 

20. Pumice stone— powdered in differ- 
ent degrees of fineness— the Italian is the 
best. The American being gritty will 
scratch worse. The lump pumice stone 
which should be also the Italian kind for 
the same reason. 

21. Whiting or carbonate of lime is 
useful at times for many purposes which 
will be noted in the course of this manual 
but principally in the preparing of certain 
kinds of putty. ; 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 39 

22. Chamois skins— which by the way 
are not Chamois skins but sheepskins 
tanned in a particular Way— are also hard 
to get along without in carriage painting 
as they are useful in many ways, nearly all 
through the preparing and the finishing of 
a job. 

23. Under this heading must be a long- 
list of articles and material used in the 
decoration of vehicles such as gold and 
other metal leaves. Bronzes also of all 
colors and qualities, met allies and flitters 
also in all colors. Transfer ornaments of 
every kind. In short every thing that is 
ever used in the shop for the purpose of 
ornamentation. 

THINNERS OR VEHICLES FOR COLORS. 

24. It was stated at the beginning that 
but little linseed oil was used in carriage 
painting— but that little must be good and 
the best. The raw should invariably be 
used, as the object for which linseed oil is 



40 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

used is partially defeated by the use of 
boiled oil. 

25. Volatile oils. There can be no 
question as to which is the best to use 
where there is any choice at all possible, 
that is— " Turpentine." It is head and 
shoulders above the petroleum, volatile 
oils, benzine, naphtha and gasoline. But 
of course where they must be used— they 
are, that's all. 

26. Japans and other varnishes are 
used in both the filling up coats for rough 
stuffing, but the latter more especially in 
the coloring coats and finishing. Japans 
do not differ much from varnishes and un- 
der that name all kinds of liquid stuff is 
sold in the market which have nothing 
much in common but the name under which 
they are sold. The formulas for making 
them differ so much that it is really impos- 
sible to give a clear definition of them. In 
so far as carriage painters make use of 
them they are expected to bind the pig- 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 41 

ments mixed with them, and to have but 
little elasticity at least no greater than that 
of the supervening coats. Most varnish 
makers prepare one for the purpose of the 
carriage trade which is sold under the name 
of "Carriage japan,' ' this is usually to be 
depended on when made by a varnish house 
having a reputation to loose. Varnishes 
for the carriage painter 's use are prepared 
with a view to suit his various requirements 
such as "rubbing," coloring" and "finish- 
ing/' each of which are again sub-divided 
into quick drying, medium drying and slow 
drying and again into elastic and non-elas- 
tic. There is a varnish prepared for any 
special use that the painter will ever have 
and the only trouble with him is to pick out 
the good ones. 

In the course of the details of the work 
proper when the various operations are 
reviewed, the various kinds of varnishes 
to be used for each purpose will be named 
under the appellation given them by the 



42 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

various manufacturers and which has now 
become universally adopted by them. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON V. 

19. Some general remarks concerning 
accessory material? 

20. What is said regarding pumice 
stone ? 

21. What is said of whiting or oarbo- 
ate of lime? 

22. What is said of chamois skins ? 

23. What ornamental material is used 
in carriage painting? 

24. What oil is used in foundation 
coats ? 

25. What volatile oils should be used? 

26. What is said of japans and var- 
nishes ? 

LESSON VI. 

TOOLS USED IN CARRIAGE PAINTING. 

27. The tools used in carriage painting 
are not very numerous nor costly and must 




Fig. 1 
OVAL CHISELLED VARNISH BRUSH 



44 CAERIAGE PAINTING 

be kept separated from useful devices used 
in facilitating the work as these may vary 
greatly or be dispensed altogether if neces- 
sary — but the tools cannot, without some 
other ones which would have to take their 
place are used instead of them. The more 
important tools as may well be surmised 
are the "brushes" and these are made up 
of nearly all known variety of hair used 
in the art of brush making. 

28. The heavy brushes used in carriage 
painting are usually made up from hog 
bristles and they are used for a number of 
purposes. Fig. 1 shows a metal bound 
chiselled haired (bristle) varnish brush. 
This brush is useful in many sizes and runs 
from 1.0 to 8.0. They are used in priming 
coats to lay color with and may also be 
used for laying rough stuff and for var- 
nishing running gears and bodies of large 
wagon work which is not to be finished ex- 
tra fine. They will be found useful for a 
wide range of work and with the great 



CAKEIAGE PAINTING 



45 




Fig. 2 
ROUND PAINTER'S DUSTER 



range of sizes will come as near being 
worthy to be called a universal tool as it 



46 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

is possible to call a brush by that name in 
carriage painting. 

29. Fig. 2 repesents a round paint- 
er 's duster. There is no economy in buy- 
ing a cheap one <and a No. 1 white 
coach painter's duster will cost but little 
more than a cheaper one. These do the 



Fig. 3 
COACH PAINTER'S SPOKE BRUSH 

work so much better that it is foolish to 
buy any other. 

30. Fig. 3 represents the coach paint- 
er's spoke brush. As the nama indicates 
they are useful for spoke painting but not 
indispensable, as many carriage painters 
never use a specially constructed brush foi 
that purpose. 

31. Fig. 4 represents a flat varnish 
brush— these run in sizes from 1 inch to 4 



CAKKIAGE PAINTING 



47 



inches in width by graduations of y 2 an 
inch. They come also in single and double 




iiuiiiiiiiiiuiiuiiUillUillll 

Fig. 4 
FLAT VARNISH BRUSH 



thickness and in all these same sizes and 
thicknesses in chiselled edge which are 




Fig. 5 
ARTISTS' BRISTLE BRUSHES 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 



49 



usually preferable for most work. They 
are used for a number of purposes, and a 




Fig. 6 
FITCH VARNISH BRUSH 



liberal supply of the various kinds will be 
found very handy. As chiselled edged 



50 



CAERIAGE PAINTING 



brushes are shown in Fig. 4 it will not 
be necessary to show the bristle varnish 
chiselled edge brush, as that indicates the 
shape fully as well. 

32. Fig. 5 shows artists ' flat and round 
bristle brushes. A few of these brushes 
come in handy in cleaning up and filling 
quirks and beaded seams. They are inex- 




Fig. 7 
BADGER HAIR, FLOWING BRUSH 

pensive. They number in sizes from 1 to 
12. 

33. The finishing varnish brushes and 
the color brushes for the laying on of the 
coloring coats require finer and softer ma- 
terial than hog's bristles. Most of these 
therefore are made up from badger, bear, 
ox hair and camel's hair (so called) such 



CAKEIAGE PAINTING 



51 



being better than the other for certain spe- 
cific purposes. They lay color or varnish 




Fig. 8 
CAMEL'S HAIR VARNISH OR COLOR BRUSH 

much more smoothly and evenly than it 
is possible with a bristle brush. Fig. 6 




Fig. 9 
STRIPING PENCILS 



represents the fitch varnish brush. It is 
also made in bear's hair and sable. This 




Fig. 10 
LETTERING PENCILS 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 



53 



brush is chiefly used in laying varnish 
coats. 
34. Fig. 7 represents the badger haired 




Fig. 11 
ARTISTS' RED SABLE BRUSHES 



varnish, or color brushes as it is used by 
some for both purposes. 

35. Fig. 8 represents the camel hair 
varnish brush. This is also used for both 



54 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

purposes of a coloring brush, or for laying 
varnish. (The finishing coats.) 

36. Fig. 9 represents striping pencils. 
These may be made of either camel 's hair, 
sable or ox-hair. Each of which being bet- 
ter than the other for use in light or heavy 
bodied colors: the sable brushes being 
more elastic are best in heavy colors. 



Fig. 12 
SWORD STRIPING BRUSH 

37. Fig. 10 represents the lettering 
pencils. They too are made from either 
camel's hair, Siberian ox-hair, or red or 
black sable to be used in light and heavy 
bodied colors. 

38. Fig. 11 represents flat and round 
red sable artists' brushes, which are used 
in the painting of ornaments for which they 
are indispensable. 

39. Fig. 12 represents the sword strip- 
ing pencil. By its use a stripe may be 



CAKEIAGE PAINTING 55 

made of various width, wide or narrow 
according to the amount of pressure given. 
They are best for the making of the finer 
stripes. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON VI. 

27. General remarks on tools used in 
carriage painting. 

28. What does Fig. 1 represent? 

29. What does Fig. 2 represent? 
SO. What does Fig. 3 represent? 

31. What does Fig. 4 represent? 

32. What does Fig. 5 represent? 

33. What does Fig. 6 represent? 

34. What does Fig. 7 represent? 

35. What does Fig. 8 represent? 

36. What does Fig. 9 represent? 

37. What does Fig. 10 represent? 

38. What does Fig. 11 represent? 

39. What does Fig. 12 represent? 



56 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

LESSON VII. 

TOOLS USED IN CARRIAGE PAINTING CONTINUED. 

40. Fig. 13 represents putty knives of 
various qualities. They are either rigid 
or flexible and m}ay be beveled at the va- 
rious angles. 

41. Fig. 14 represents the wide scrap- 
ing knives. They are indispensable to use 
in rough stuffing; in knifing in lead 
coats, etc. Some should be beveled. They 
are also the best tools to use in burning off 
paint from old jobs. 

42. Fig. 15 represents the gasoline 
torch. This is of great use in all repair 
shops in order to remove the old paint and 
varnish from jobs to be repainted. 

43. Fig. 16 represent a patented brush 
keeper which has projecting wires sol- 
dered on the inside upon which the brushes 
are fastened and suspended from. The 
cover is a protection against dust and dirt 



CAEEIAGE PAINTING 



57 



A 






D 




Fig. 13 
PUTTY KNIVES 



settling upon the brushes and the liquid of 
the keeper. 

44. While the brush keepers are under 





B 





Pig. 14 
WIDE SCRAPING KNIVES 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 



59 



consideration, it will be well to state that 
the one shown in Fig. 16 is merely sug- 
gestive, and any other which will keep the 
brush suspended and which will keep the 
dirt out will be found equally effective for 
use. Below is given an inexpensive way 
of making an individual brush keeper 




Fig. 15 
GASOLINE TORCH 

which will be found even better than the 
highest priced patented ones. Take any 
small tin can such as vegetables are packed 
in, have a bent wire soldered on to hang 
the brush upon the inside, fill it with the 
liquid desired and place it inside of a 
Mason fruit jar, place the cover upon it 
and you have an ideal keeper. As it is 



60 CAKKIAGE PAINTING 

much better and safer for each varnish 
brash to hang suspended in its own liquid, 
and as it requires a long time to clean 
them when they have been suspended in 
a different varnish or linseed oil, it will 




Fig. 16 
BRUSH KEEPER 

be seen at once the great advantage in hav- 
ing each brush by itself in an individual 
keeper. 

45. Sponges. These are needed at 
nearly every turn in the various opera- 
tions necessary in carriage painting. 
Great care should be used in selecting 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 



61 




n 1 1 





Fig. 17 
REVOLVING WHEEL JACK 



them as sometimes pieces of rock or grains 
of sand are to be found attached to them 
when they would surely mar and scratch 



62 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

the work, therefore after wetting a new 
one, one should be careful to go all over 
it with the fingers in order to feel for such 
objectionable stuff and remove them. The 
sheep's wool variety is the only kind fit to 
be used. 

46. Fig. 17 represents a wheel jack. 
It is simply an upright piece of wood into 
the top of which an inch hole has been 
bored and a piece of wood perfectly round 
has been driven. Upon the floor another 
inch hole is bored and a square piece of 
flat iron is screwed on ; in the center of this 
iron a hole should be made to correspond 
to the one in the floor and the two should 
come together. In the bottom of the up- 
right a piece of iron rod should be driven 
leaving the end out a few inches. This 
end can then be put into the hole in the 
floor and the upright wheel jack will be 
ready to hang the wheels upon while being 
painted. They can be revolved to any de- 
sired position. There are many forms of 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 



63 



lliem in use and the principle upon which 
they work is capable of being adapted in 
various 5 ways. It is a matter of small 




Fig. 18 
BODY TRESTLE 



moment and it is more one of convenience 
to the painter as to which he may adopt. 

47. Fig. 18 represents a handy body 
trestle upon which to rest bodies while be- 



64 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

ing painted. As with the wheel jack there 
can be no cut and dried standard. Each 
shop usually has an equipment of its own 
to facilitate the handling of this class of 
work. The principal idea being that there 
be no projecting pieces sticking out to 
come in the way of the painter doing the 
work and in some shops ordinary carpen- 
ter 's horses are made use of for the bodies 
to rest upon. 

48. In some of the large shops, they 
have a number of conveniently arranged 
tilting devices — which also rotate so that 
bodies can be painted, at many angles 
These are handy and they will naturally 
suggest themselves to the operator. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON VII. 

40. What does Fig. 13 represent? 

41. What does Fig. 14 represent? 

42. What does Fig. 15 represent? 

43. What does Fig. 16 represent? 



CAKEIAGE PAINTING 65 

44. Describe how to make an inexpen- 
sive brush keeper. 

45. What kind of sponges should be 
used in carriage painting? 

46. What does Fig. 17 represent? 

47. What does Fig. 18 represent? 

48. What other devices will be found 
useful as body trestles? 

LESSON VIII. 

PREPARING NEW JOBS FOR PAINTING. 

49. New wood will be found usually 
pretty open, especially oak— full of pores 
which must be filled up and effectually 
sealed against any possible action of air 
and moisture, for if this is not attained 
fully in the priming coats, it will be too 
late to try to do so in any subsequent 
coats. As it was seen in Vol. 1 the func- 
tion of priming is very important and 
should not be slighted. If this is con- 
sidered of prime importance in house 



66 CARBIAGE PAINTING 

painting, how much more so then is it to 
be in carriage painting. 

The constant motion, wear and tear to 
which all kinds of vehicles are subjected, 
requires that the foundation for the super- 
structure of the painting proper for all 
kinds of vehicles be they wagons, buggies, 
carriages, automobiles or railway cars, 
should receive the utmost care, for if this 
is not properly attended to, no amount of 
first class work done over it— can possibly 
stand. 

50. It is usual to take the woodwork to 
the blacksmith shop to have all the iron 
parts put on before the same is primed. 
No matter how carefully this work of the 
fitting on of the iron is done, it will be 
found that the wood will be soiled by 
grease and other undesirable dirt, and it 
is principally for this reason that the iron- 
ing should be done before the priming in 
order to give one a chance to remove it be- 
fore the priming is done. 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 67 

51. To prepare the job for priming, 
good care must be had to clean it and 
about as good a way to do so as there is, 
will be to take some No. 1 sand paper and 
go over it carefully, being careful not to 
cut through or to remove any angular parts 
which are intended to show on the car- 
riage parts. Should the job be soaked up 
with lard oil in spots, it will be necessary in 
order to insure perfect safety, to put some 
strong solution of sal soda or lye over it, 
let it stand half an hour, then wash it off 
carefully and rinse with clean water in 
order to remove all traces of the alcaline 
matter from the wood as it might other- 
wise injure the oil used in the priming. 

52. The bodies should be carefully 
dusted and cleaned. They will not require 
as much sand papering as the carriage 
parts of the running gears, as there are 
much more numerous ironings on the lat- 
ter, especially on the wheels and there is 



68 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

but little need of the blacksmith soiling 
bodies with greasy marks at least. 

53. There are a number of ways in use 
for priming carriage jobs, but the ordi- 
nary mortal had better beware of them. 
Many of them are so called "patent" and 
all of them supposed to hurry up the proc- 
ess of turning out a job quicker than the 
old fashioned method of "lead and oil," 
but the latter can always be depended 
upon to do the job while the others may or 
may not, with the chances usually being 
that they will not. 

Lead assimilates unto itself a consider- 
able quantity of linseed oil which it turns 
into a linoleate lead soap, and which makes 
an ideal primer, sinking into the pores and 
anchoring the whole of the priming coat 
securely by its numerous rootlets which 
are the result of the penetration of the 
oil into the pores. As linseed oil does not 
evaporate but on the contrary absorbs 
oxygen it swells slightly after it is applied 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 69 

and thus completely fills up the openings, 
sealing them up effectually against any 
atmospheric action. 

54. There is some difference in opin- 
ion as to what really is the best primer and 
as to the proper thinning of it. This no 
doubt, is mainly on account of the quicker 
drying of it. All are agreed, however, that 
white lead ground in oil is good. This sort 
of lead is best known to the carriage 
trade as "keg lead,'' to distinguish it from 
other forms of lead used, such as "dry 
lead "— "lead ground in japan or var- 
nish" and "knifing lead," which is used 
in surfacing and which can be bought 
ready prepared for use or made up in the 
shop as desired. 

The priming should not be very thick, 
just enough pigment to color up the oil 
to which may be added enough lamp black, 
to tinge it to a slate color. A little good 
drying japan may be added in damp non- 
drying weather, and when it is very cold 



70 CAEKIAGE PAINTING 

and the oil is any way sluggish, a small 
quantity of turpentine may be added. This 
will in no wise hurt it, as it will render the 
oil more penetrating and really a greater 
quantity of oil can thus be forced into the 
pores, than it would be possible under the 
unthinned condition— but this is true only 
in cold weather. 

Some like to add a small quantity of 
good French ochre to the lead. This is all 
right enough if a silicate ochre is used, as 
that is of itself a good filler, as silica is 
the basis of nearly all the hardwood fillers. 
As much as one third of this kind of ochre 
can be used to good advantage with the 
white lead in preparing the primer for 
carriage painting. 

The above will suffice in order to enable 
any one to prepare a good primer, and 
with the further advice of using only the 
raw linseed oil and under no conditions to 
be tempted to substitute boiled oil for this, 
the reader will now be ready to go on with 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 71 

the application of the priming and lead 
coats, which follow in the next lesson. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON VIII. 

49. What is required in preparing new 
woodwork for painting? 

50. Should woodwork be ironed before 
painting? 

51. How should woodwork be treated 
after the ironing? 

52. How should ironed jobs be cleaned 
up? 

53. What is the action of the priming 
coat? 

54. What pigments and thinners are 
best used in priming? 

LESSON IX. 

THE PRIMING AND LEAD COATS. 

55. The application of the priming coat 
requires really more care than skill. The 
job should be well cleaned and dusted, and 



72 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

it is hardly necessary to caution against 
this operation being performed in a place 
where it is or is likely to be subjected to 
dust or dirt to fall upon it. The priming 
should be evenly given to all parts of the 
wood and should be well rubbed in, not only 
to the parts that are to be in sight, but to 
the undersides as well, in short to every 
part, in order to stop any atmospheric ac- 
tion upon the wood. 

56. The lead coats as they are called, 
are the preparatory coats which are given 
to a job before the coloring coats for the 
carriage parts, or the rough stuffing pre- 
paratory to the coloring coats to be given 
to the bodies. 

57. To the running gears, the lead 
coats should be properly called the 
"surfacing -coats," as these are never 
rough stuffed, and the coloring coats are 
applied directly over them. The same may 
be said also of business wagons, panels, 
etc., which are also sufficiently well surfaced 



CARKIAGE PAINTING 73 

by that operation of one of the lead coats 
called " knifed in" lead coat— of which 
more will be said further on. 

58. Where the work is to be "rough 
stuffed" before receiving the coloring 
coats, the proper way to apply the "first" 
lead coat is to take keg lead and thin it 
with turpentine and raw linseed oil, "half 
of each." The above thinning produces 
an eggshell gloss, and while it is good— it 
is too slow to suit the average carriage 
shop now days, so to hurry it up and to 
produce a harder coating (less elastic), 
the quantity of linseed oil is reduced and 
that of turpentine enlarged, so that the 
drying will be quicker. This should be 
applied rather thickly, but should be well 
and very evenly brushed out. 

59. The second lead coat is best known 
to the carriage painter as "flat lead," as 
it should contain but the least possible 
quantity of linseed oil in the thinner, and 
it should dry without lustre or gloss. A 



74 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

large tablespoonful of linseed oil will be 
sufficient for a quart of mixture which is 
to be thinned with the turpentine suffi- 
ciently to be applied. Use only a camel's 
hair flat brush for this purpose, as a bristle 
brush will not lay it smoothly. 

60. The rub lead coat. In the former 
directions given for first and second lead 
coats, the supposition is that the job is 
to be surfaced, levelled up, etc., by the 
rough stuffing process to be hereafter de- 
scribed, but for running gears and jobs 
which are not to be so prepared, there is 
no better way known, than to give them 
what is known to the trade as a " rub lead ' ' 
coat. This may be prepared from a good 
"keg lead" especially ground and pre- 
pared for the carriage trade, or prepared 
from dry white lead thinned with % lin- 
seed oil, % turpentine, colored to a light 
slate color and run through a paint mill. 
The above is more applicable to the large 
shops than to the small ones, these will 



CAKRIAGE PAINTING 75 

find the former way better. The lead 
should not be too thin, but sufficiently to 
brush out fairly with a bristle brush. 
After it has been applied, it should be left 
to set for 15 minutes, then the operator 
should proceed to ' ' rub ' ' it in all over the 
work, with the palm of his hand. It re- 
quires a longer time to stand before coat- 
ing over with a second lead coat, than with 
"first lead" as described before, but it is 
far better and produces a fine surface for 
second lead. This second flat lead should 
not be given before two full days after 
the application of the first. 

61. Knifing in lead coat. This coat is 
used on carriage parts to the exclusion of 
the rough stuff coats used for the surfac- 
ing of bodies, and is also used for surfac- 
ing business wagons, etc. Color manufac- 
turers prepare it so that it can be used by 
thinning only, but many of the large shops 
prepare it as wanted from dry white lead, 
2 parts, and keg lead 1 part, thinned with 



76 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

rubbing varnish and japan with a little 
turps. It will be well to add enough color 
to the knifing in lead toward the shade of 
the finishing color, in order that it may 
cover better over it. It may be applied 
with a bristle brush and afterwards the 
whole surface should be gone over with a 
wide putty knife, in order to force the 
knifing lead to all parts and to afterwards 
remove the surplus lead, leaving only 
that which is required to give a job the 
proper leveling of the surface. If the job 
has been properly done, there will be but 
little need for much sand papering in order 
to fit it for subsequent operations. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON IX. 

55. How is the priming to be applied? 

56. What is said of the lead coats in 
general ? 

57. What is the object of the applica- 
tion of the lead coats to the running gears 1 



CARRIAGE PAINTING .77 

58. How should the "first lead" coat 
be given? 

59. How should "second lead" coat be 
prepared and applied? 

60. What is the "rub coat" and its 
object? 

61. What is the "knifing lead" coat 
and its object. 

LESSON X. 

PUTTYING AND PREPARING OF PUTTIES. 

62. Putty and puttying plays a very 
important part in carriage painting, and 
as to whether it has been properly at- 
tended to and the right sort of putty used, 
will make or. mar the looks of a job. The 
novice in carriage painting is very apt to 
slight this operation and to think that too 
much stress is given it, but there is not 
half enough given it in this manual in- 
tended for beginners, and if this unat- 
tractive part of the trade can be grafted 



78 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

into the student, so that he will appreciate 
its importance, then the space given it will 
not have been wasted. 

63. There is no one single sort of putty 
that can be said to be an all around putty, 
that can be used for all purposes for which 
putty is used. Each and every kind has 
a different function to fulfill, and must be 
prepared accordingly. There is one kind 
of putty which is in universal use and 
which comes nearer to filling the use of a 
general putty, the formula of which is 
given below and which is called formula 
No. 1, and to which reference will be made 
as putty No. 1. 

64. Formula No. 1. Dry white lead- 
knead this with a thinner, composed of half 
rubbing varnish and half japan— to the 
proper consistency. This will come as 
near filling the purpose of a general putty, 
as it is possible for one to be made for such 
a purpose. 

There are some who substitute keg lead 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 79 

in various proportions in combination 
with the dry lead. A small percentage of 
it is no doubt good for several special pur- 
poses, but the formula given is as good 
as any. 

65. Formula No. 2. Keg lead, 1 part; 
whiting, 2 parts; thinner to be composed 
of equal parts of varnish and raw linseed 
oil, mixed to a stiff paste for use. This 
putty is to be used on old jobs which are 
badly splintered and rough edged. It will 
dry tough and will not flake off. It can- 
not be sand papered, however. 

66. Formula No. 3. For deep holes— 
whiting mixed with raw linseed oil and 
japan, equal parts. Then into this mix- 
ture, mix plush woof. Drive a small head 
tack or two in bottom of hole, and then 
fill in nearly level of the surface with this 
putty. Slash a couple of openings into it 
with putty knife to quicken the drying, 
and in due time level up with regular No. 



80 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

1 putty— (From Hillick's Practical Car- 
riage and Wagon Painting.) 

67. Formula No. 4. Dry lead, 3 parts ; 
plaster of Paris, 1 part ; knead into proper 
consistency with equal parts of quick rub- 
bing varnish and japan. This is intended 
for use upon shallow cavities. The com- 
bination dries hard and quick. It will 
be found valuable in repair shops. 

68. Formula No. 5. Finely ground 
pumice stone, 3 parts; dry lead, 1 part; 
mix to a working condition in thick glue. 
Apply the putty so that it will show some 
above the surface. After 10 hours, rub 
down with lump pumice stone and raw 
linseed oil. The above is made especially 
for filling expansive shallow dents upon a 
carriage surface— (From Hillick's Prac- 
tical Carriage and Wagon Painting, also 
the following:) 

69. Formula No. 6. Dry white lead, 
2/3; keg lead, 1/3; rubbing varnish and 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 81 

japan equal parts; mix, and into this mix 

the woof or fine pickings of velvet or plush. 

The above putty is especially intended 

to be used around glass in heavy carriages. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON X. 

62. What is said of puttying in general? 

63. What about the several kinds of 
putty? 

64. What is putty No. 1? 

65. What is putty No. 21 

66. What is putty No. 3? 

67. What is putty No. 4? 

68. What is putty No. 5! 

69. What is putty No. 6! 

LESSON XL 

PUTTYING AND SANDPAPERING. 

70. In the previous lesson, formulas 
were given for the preparing of various 
kinds of putty used in carriage painting, 
but nothing was said concerning their ap- 



82 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

plication. In the following paragraphs 
are given a few directions which will be 
found useful for the purpose, and which 
if followed up, will make for good work 
in that line. 

There are few operations in the car- 
riage painting trade which require more 
care, and, where the lack of it is more likely 
to produce mortification to the feelings 
of one who has neglected to properly per- 
form his work. 

71. The following four reasons given 
by Hillick, are so well calculated to give 
the reader the "pith" of good advice in 
puttying that the same is copied verbatim : 

1. Never putty on the priming coat. 

2. Putty all work as smooth as possi- 
ble. It is economy, and increases the 
chances of doing and producing first class 
work. 

3. Always avoid puttying a crevice, de- 
pression or cavity in the wood, or a joint 
between two pieces of wood that is subject 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 83 

to diverse forms of resistance. The 
wrenching and twisting of the vehicle will 
loosen the putty and eventually eject it. 

4. In puttying over nails, plugs, etc., 
press the pigment firmly into the hole, fill- 
ing just level with the surface and care- 
fully slick up all surplus putty. 

The above if followed up, will not lead 
the novice astray. To the four rules given, 
may be added a caution to the beginner 
not to overdo his work by leaving a hill 
where none is wanted. Do not use more 
putty than "just enough/ 1 but not too 
little. There is but one time to do it right. 

72. Sandpapering, means a great deal 
in carriage painting. It is required at ev- 
ery step and after every coating, in fact 
even previous to any coating at all, be- 
f or the priming coat is applied. It is a pity 
that it is so but it can't be helped. The dirt 
and dust resultance from its use could 
very well be spared, but the level- 
ing up due to its careful use is one of the 



84 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

sine qua non, to which is due the fine fin- 
ished mirror-like appearance of the job, 
and the dirt produced by its use, must of 
course be looked upon as the thorns in the 
rose bush and removed, or neutralized as 
best it can. 

73. For the smoothing up of the wood- 
work and afterwards of the priming coat, 
No. 1 sandpaper is the proper size. The 
lead coats require % sandpaper, especially 
for first lead. The second, or dead lead, 
requires sandpaper. One should be very 
careful not to cut through on first lead, and 
while the rubbing must not cut to the 
bare— it must be gone all over the work, 
but carefully. The second lead coat will 
only need a light going over, especially, if 
it has been put on with a earners hair 
brush carefully. 

What has been said regarding first lead 
and second lead coats, will apply to rub 
lead, and knifing lead coats as to the proper 
size of sandpaper, but in some cases a 



CARKIAGE PAINTING 85 

size larger may have to be used ; it will all 
depend upon the condition of the work. 

74. Mouldings, sharp edges, etc., re- 
quire the same careful going over as stated 
above, and some more besides, as it is very 
easy to cut through them to the bare wood, 
a thing which must not be permitted. 
While nothing has been said heretofore, 
as to the proper time to dust, this is very 
important and should never be omitted 
after each sandpapering. It is of the first 
importance and to be carefully attended 
to and to make doubly sure, had better be 
gone over again just previous to the next 
coating. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSONS XL 

70. What is said concerning the appli- 
cation of putty? 

71. Name over the four rules given for 
good puttying. 

72. What is said about sandpapering 
in a general way? 



86 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

73. What sizes of sandpaper are best 
to be used over the various coatings? 

74. How should sandpapering be done 
over mouldings and sharp edges? 

LESSON XII. 

ROUGH STUFFING. 

75. Rough stuff hardly indicates its 
real character by the name it carries. 
While of course some of the material it 
is composed of may be rough, yet its ma- 
nipulation and application requires any- 
thing but slovenliness or carelessness. On 
the contrary, very much care must be ex- 
ercised at every stage of the operations 
necessary to conduct it to a successful 
termination. When the object of rough 
stuffing is stated, the student cannot but 
see that, unless it is well performed, its 
usefulness for the purpose will be de- 
feated, i. e., that of perfectly leveling up 
of the surface. The giving it that hard 
mirror-like face upon which to color and 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 87 

finish the job by varnishing. If this per- 
fect smoothness is not produced by this 
rough stuffing application, it will not be 
produced later by any subsequent applica- 
tion, of either paint or varnish. 

76. There are a number of substances 
which are used to good advantage in the 
preparation of rough stuff— they are 
mostly earth colors, or substances of 
rather coarse atomic formation, which 
contain more or less silica in their com- 
position, nearly all are the better for be- 
ing compounded with white lead. 

The thinner used is usually rubbing 
varnish and japan. Turpentine being used 
to thin the mixture to the proper working 
consistency. 

77. The following formulas for prepar- 
ing rough stuff, are taken from Hillick's. 
There is a good variety of them, and the 
directions following each will give the 
student a good knowledge of their various 
peculiarities. 



88 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

Formula No. 1. " To 3 lbs. of any Ameri- 
can filler, add 1 lb. of keg lead. Beat well 
together ; then reduce to a thick paste with 
rubbing varnish and japan; after which 
reduce to a working consistency with turps. 
This is a safe one coat per day stuff." 

78. Formula No. 2. " Equal parts of 
filler (except English), and keg lead, by 
weight, reduced to a heavy paste in quick 
rubbing varnish and japan, and then cut 
to the proper working consistency by tur- 
pentine. Two coats per day may be safely 
applied with this stuff." 

79. Formula No. 3. "5 lbs. of filler 
(still excepting English filler) ; 2% lbs. 
keg lead ; 1/3 elastic rubbing varnish ; 2/3 
japan. This is a stuff for heavy coach 
work. Apply a coat every 72 hours. Do 
not rub out under 3 weeks." 

80. Formula No. 4. "(A London for- 
mula), dry white lead ground stiff in tur- 
pentine, 1% lbs.; ochre or English filling, 
ground stiff in turpentine, 4 lbs.; mix the 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 89 

two and add keg lead, % lb. ; add 1 pint 
of japan gold size, and about % pint of 
the bottoms of wearing varnish. Reduce 
this with a little turpentine if necessary. 
This is a very durable and elastic stuff." 

81. Formula No. 5. " (M. Arlot's for- 
mula). Grind separately, dry white lead 
with spirits of turpentine and do the same 
with unwashed yellow ochre ; then mix the 
two pastes in the proportion of 3 A of 
white lead and *4 of ochre. Allow the 
mixture to be exposed to the air, or to a 
gentle heat, in order to evaporate the 
excess of liquid, and add gradually small 
portions of good drying oil, taking care 
to stir and beat the mixture well with a 
brush, as in distemper painting. The paste 
thus acquires more body. Concerning this 
stuff the author adds: It is possible with 
this composition to give 3 coats in one 
day 's work, but after the last coat, we must 
wait 48 hours for drying." 

82. Formula No. 6. "English filler, 



90 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

3 lbs. ; keg lead, 1 lb ; rubbing varnish % ; 
japan, %; mix to a stiff paste. Thin to a 
working consistency with turpentine." 

83. Formula No. 7. "English filler 
mixed with rubbing varnish, %; japan, 
%; thinned with turpentine. Probably 
English filler has but few if any equals, 
and certainly no superior, as a rough stuff 
pigment. It polishes down very closely 
and compact as to texture, giving a glass- 
like non-porous surface. It requires less 
lead than other fillers, because of which 
property it was specially mentioned as 
excluded from formulas 2 and 3. It does 
not surface down as easily as some of the 
American fillers do, a fact which has prob- 
ably limited its use largely.' ' 

The above give all the varieties needed 
from the quick and hard to the slow and 
elastic, and will fill all the needs of the 
trade. 



CAKKIAGE PAINTING 91 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XII. 

75. What is rough stuff? 

76. What material is used in prepar- 
ing rough stuff? 

77. What is the composition of for- 
mula No. 1? 

78. What is the composition of for- 
mula No. 2? 

79. What is the composition of for- 
mula No. 3? 

80. What is the composition of for- 
mula No. 4? 

81. What is the composition of for- 
mula No. 5? 

82. What is the composition of for- 
mula No. 6? 

83. What is the composition of for- 
mula No. 7? 

LESSON XIII. 

HOW TO DO THE ROUGH STUFFING. 

84. Many have an idea that it does not 
matter so much about what kind of a tool 



92 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

a person may use in applying the rough 
stuff, as it has to be rubbed down and 
leveled up, any way. There could not be 
a greater mistake made in this regard. 
The smoother and the more even the 
rough stuff is applied, the greater is the 
chance of turning out a first class level 
surface, with the least number of coats 
and the less rubbing. Therefore, a good 
springy, nearly new bristle brush will be 
much better than a worn out one which 
will make brush mark ridges in applying it. 
85. In applying it to the work, care 
must be given that it be evenly applied 
with as little waste of time as possible, as 
all quick setting colors can be worked 
level only before they commence setting, 
therefore there will be no time to com- 
mence a long winded tale, nor stop to listen 
to one, but from the time the application 
is commenced until completed, every brush- 
ful must go on without unnecessary inter- 
mission to the termination of it. Each 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 93 

coat should be laid off in a different di- 
rection from the one preceding it. If it 
has been laid off the long way, then the 
next one should be laid off cross ways to it. 

86. Unusually four coats of rough stuff 
will be found sufficient to rub, but while 
the coats should be applied a little heavier 
than ordinary paint coats usually are, yet 
they should in no wise be so heavy as to 
make their even application an impossi- 
bility, and it will be best to give the job 
an extra coat of rough stuff if it is needed, 
than to risk putting it on too heavy 

87. The rub coat is a thin coat of 
rough stuff coats in order to act as a guide- 
rest of it. It is applied over the other 
rough stuff coats in order to act as a guide 
coat for the rubbing. Being of a different 
color it serves to indicate to the rubber 
that he has cut through, to the real rough 
stuff under it. It is by no means an in- 
dication that the work is perfectly leveled, 



94 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

however, but of this the next paragraph 
will give more details. 

88. For rubbing down the rough stuff, 
provide some good pumice stone blocks or 
some of the made up grit German rubbing 
blocks, some good chamois ' skins and 
sheep's wool, sponges, with plenty of clean 
water in clean vessels. While the German 
blocks may do, the natural pumice stone 
makes the most trustworthy blocks for fine 
work. The lightest in weight for their size 
are the best. They should be sawed across 
the face and filed level, and occasionally re- 
ceive a dressing in order to maintain them 
level. 

89. Eubbing rough stuff requires care, 
and to a certain extent skill. The surface 
to be rubbed should be kept wet, but not 
unduly so. The motion of the hand should 
be forward and backward, never in a cir- 
cular, uneven stroke. If the surface of 
the panel is bordered by a moulding, the 
edges joining the moulding should be done 



CAEEIAGE PAINTING 95 

first, in order to avoid coming in contact 
with them if done at full length strokes, 
which would be likely to knock against 
them and mar them or break the stone, 
which will make grit and dirt hard to clean 
np. 

The novice can tell when the stone is 
cutting just right, by the way it adheres 
to the surface, and if the least atom of dirt 
gets in between the stone and the surface 
being rubbed, he can tell in a moment 
that there is something wrong. The stone 
at times accumulates gumminess, which 
prevents its even cutting, it should be 
looked after often, and cleaned in order 
to have it always in good condition. 

90. After the rubbing has been done 
satisfactorily, it should be carefully 
washed off and afterward dried with the 
chamois skin. 



96 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XIII. 

84. What tools are required to apply 
the rough stuff! 

85. How is the rough stuff applied? 

86. How many coats of rough stuff are 
usually needed! 

87. What is the "rub coat?" 

88. What material is required for rub- 
bing rough stuff? 

89. How is the rubbing done? 

90. How should the rough stuff be 
afterward cleaned up? 

LESSON XIV. 

THE COLOR COATS. 

91. The coloring of a job after it is out of 
rough stuff, as it is called after it has been 
rubbed and cleaned, is a matter which to 
a certain extent is governed by fashions 
and fads, and also by the kind of vehicles 
and the use they are intended for. The 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 97 

subject matter of this manual covers ev- 
erything in the vehicle line of painting, 
from an ordinary delivery wagon, on 
through all kinds of pleasure vehicles, 
automobiles, to the finest of passenger 
cars. So not a single one of the pigments 
in use by decorators and artists, but are 
drawn upon for some of the work turned 
out by the carriage painter; more than 
that there are a number of colors which 
are used exclusively by him. These of 
course are mainly proprietary colors— but 
they are seldom if ever used by other 
painters. 

92. Each color requires a different 
treatment, usually from any of the others, 
or at least has some peculiarities which re- 
quire that it should receive a special treat- 
ment, therefore the colors of each group 
will be reviewed under their various group- 
ing, and where any of them have peculiar- 
ities requiring explanations, these will be 
given under such headings. 



98 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

93. As frequently even a difference has 
to be made in the manner of applying the 
various colors, the proper way of doing 
this will also be noted in the reviewing of 
the various colors in a group. 

THE BLACK. 

94. The Black group is one of the most 
useful of all to the carriage trades, either 
by the use of its self color, or in the use 
made of it in combination with other col- 
ors to produce dark tints, etc. The black 
group gives more uniformity in the vari- 
ous uses made of its several members, 
than any of the other groups, and the man- 
ner of applying the color coats is nearly 
uniform for all of them. 

95. The directions given below for ap- 
plying colors of the black group will also 
apply to most of the other groups, which 
are of an opaque, or at least of a semi- 
opaque nature. The pigments of the black 
group which are used in the finishing color 



CAEEIAGE PAINTING 99 

are not of the most opaque sorts. The best 
of them, the Ivory or Coach blacks are 
really only semi-opaque, so that an extra 
good covering is anything but an indica- 
tion of good quality, but rather that the 
color has been doctored up with carbon 
black. 

Therefore if one coat of color cannot 
be made to cover as perfectly as desired, 
then two coats should be given. Never 
try to force the covering of a semi-trans- 
parent color by giving an extra heavy 
coat, it will be impossible to brush it out 
free of brush marks. Let the color be 
thinned sufficiently to brush out smoothly. 

The colors should always be ground in 
japan, and thinned with turpentine, with 
the addition of sufficient varnish to bind 
it so that it will dry out soft and velvety. 
The only brush to lay color is a camel's 
hair flat brush. 

The above directions are given for new 
work. It is the practice now, however, to 



100 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

give the color coats in color and varnish, 
as it is much safer and less troublesome. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XIV. 

91. What is said of the color coats? 

92. Why have the painting explanations 
been grouped according to the color 
groups ? 

93. Are all colors applied alike in car- 
riage painting? 

94. What is said of the black group of 
colors in a general way? 

95. How should the colors of the black 
group be applied? 

LESSON XV. 

THE BROWN GROUP. 

96. The Browns are used mainly in 
wagon painting, but occasinally some peo- 
ple even desire it used on vehicles, and es- 
pecially so in automobiles. Most of the 
browns are easy colors to handle. Some 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 101 

require a ground color, then color as noted 
in the blacks, followed with color and var- 
nish of which nothing is said in that group. 
This coat is mixed with varnish and tur- 
pentine and should show up quite glossy 
after drying. It holds up well and makes 
a good lasting job. 

97. All the transparent browns includ- 
ing the Van Dyke browns are better for 
having a ground coat prepared and ap- 
plied for them. A preparatory coat pre- 
pared from coach black, chrome yellow and 
red, will make a very good imitation of it, 
or any of the Vienna umber browns, and 
when glazed over with the colors them- 
selves, produce nice effects, and can also 
be given with one coat of color, followed 
by one coat of color and varnish. 

98. Vienna brown is greatly used in 
the painting of carriage bodies and auto- 
mobiles, it requires a ground color of deep 
Indian red, then paint over it one coat 
color, and one coat color and varnish. 



102 CARKIAGE PAINTING 

99. London smoke is a dull brown 
chiefly used in solid one-coat work, as it 
covers very well and will look solid, un- 
less the thinning is greatly overdone. It 
is mainly used on running gears. 

THE BLUE GROUP. 

100. The ultramarine blues are the 
principal ones used in the work of the 
carriage painter. It gives most beautiful 
effects and certainly is very pleasing to 
the eye. The best results from their use 
are obtained by preparing ground for them, 
and using the ultramarine blues as a glaze 
over these grounds in color and varnish, as 
all glazing colors should be given and ap- 
plied with an inch and a half badger color 
brush. All manufacturers prepare grounds 
for their ultramarine blue, and these come 
in three shades, pale, medium and deep. 

101. There is often a necessity for the 
carriage painter to prepare his own 
grounds. These are made up from Prussian 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 103 

blue and a good white lead ground in ja- 
pan, or from keg lead from which the oil 
has been extracted by stirring up with tur- 
pentine, letting it settle and pouring out 
the liquid. A most thorough and intimate 
mixing must be made of it, or it will show 
up streaky, or specky. The above advice 
will apply to all compounded colors. It is 
very much harder to combine all parts of 
color together into a homogeneous mass 
than it looks to be, and the manufacturer 
is much better prepared to do this properly 
then the painter is. It is true that some 
are careless in this regard too, but they 
have a reputation made or lost among car- 
riage painters and manufacturers, who 
have worked up a good trade in this branch 
of their business are not very likely to 
lose it by imperfectly combined mixtures. 
102. Beautiful effects in glazing with 
ultramarine blue result from glazing over 
a coat of very deep green. The results 
of such a combination are always pleas- 



104 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

ing. The glaze colors should be mixed 
with elastic rubbing varnish, and put on 
flowing. Of course ultramarine can be 
procured, that is sufficiently opaque to 
cover solidly in one coat, but no such del- 
icate and rich, aristocratic tones can be 
obtained from it, as by preparing grounds 
first and glazing over them afterwards. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XV. 

96. What is said about the application 
of the color coats for the several groups? 

97. How should Van Dyke brown and 
other semi-transparent browns be used? 

98. How should the grounds be pre- 
pared for Vienna browns? 

99. What use is London smoke made of 
in carriage painting? 

100. What is said of the blue group in 
a general way? 

101. How are grounds for ultramarine 
prepared and painted over? 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 105 

102. What effects are produced from 
glazing ultramarine over green grounds! 

LESSON XVI. 

THE GREEN GROUP. 

103. The greens which are mostly used 
in carriage and wagon painting, either for 
solid painting, or as grounds for other 
green used over them as a glazing color 
are Chrome greens and these are com- 
pounded of Prussian Blue and Chrome Yel- 
low. It is a very hard matter to keep them 
intimately mixed, and in spite of all that 
can be done, they do separate with the 
consequent results that they give either a 
cloudy or a streaky finish, unless great care 
is exercised during their application. 

104. There is no way known, which will 
prevent this separation except constant 
stirring, and this is the only remedy. Be 
at it every time you use a brushful of the 
mixture. If this is properly attended to, 



106 CAEKIAGE PAINTING 

there will be little trouble; if not, the 
trouble is sure to come. This applies not 
only to the greens that may be compounded 
in the shop from chrome yellow and Prus- 
sian blue, but fully as much to those al- 
ready prepared by the manufacturers, as 
these two colors composing it are com- 
pounded, but do not unite together. The 
blue being much lighter in weight than the 
yellow, it will usually separate and rise 
to the top. 

105. All the other compounded colors 
from greens, such as the Merrimac, Quaker, 
Brewster, Bottle and especially the Olives, 
require great care in their handling and 
manipulation, not only as regards their 
settlings, but also in their application. 
They should never be cross-brushed, as it 
will surely bring out differences of color 
and streaks. It is much safer to use the 
greens as flat colors. They cover well and 
two coats will always cover solidly. 

106. Green ultramarine, Paris green 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 107 

and Verdigris, are all transparent greens, 
which are very useful in glazing. Many 
proprietary green carriage colors of coal 
tar extraction, both opaque and transpar- 
ent, are being* introduced from time to 
time. It is hoped that a perfect substitute 
for Paris green which may be non-poison- 
ous may be found. 

THE REDS. 

107. The reds are widely used by the 
carriage painter for a multitude of widely 
different work, according to the shades of 
it, which vary from the glaring scarlet to 
the subdued magentas and warm shades 
of red browns. The reds are derived from 
widely different sources, and what might 
be said of one, and of the proper way of 
treatment for it, might be altogether mis- 
leading when applied to another and so on. 
So nearly every red will need to be treated 
according to their individual requirements. 



108 CAREIAGE PAINTING 

108. The vermilions have a wide range 
from light scarlet to magenta, and accord- 
ing as the genuine English, so called, or 
the numerous imitations of it under hun- 
dreds of proprietary names are used, the 
work will need to be done differently. The 
imitation vermilions usually cover very 
well, and need no special ground, although 
some are the better for a pink ground, 
made of Venetian red and lead, and ap- 
plied as a color ground for them. In fact 
no error can be made in using it as such 
for all imitation reds. 

109. English vermilion requires such 
a ground always—the peach blossom pink 
is the best and it should dry with an egg- 
shell gloss, as it will prevent any sinking 
in of the vermilion. The first coat of ver- 
milion should have considerable gloss too, 
and the last should be color and varnish, 
carrying a decided gloss. Japan should 
never be used in connection with quick- 
silver vermilion and it is needless to say, 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 109 

that linseed oil never should, as it will 
darken it and destroy its brilliancy of tone. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XVI. 

103. What is said of the green group 
of color in general ? 

104. How are green colors to be kept 
from separating? 

105. How should green colors be ap- 
plied? 

106. What green colors are mainly used 
for glazing? 

107. What is said of the red pigments 
in a general way? 

108. What is said about the application 
of the imitation vermilions? 

109. How should English Vermilion be 
applied? 

LESSON XVII. 

RED GROUP CONTINUED. 

110. Some beautiful effects are pro- 
duced by glazing English Vermilions with 



110 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

carmine. It is a job that but few who know 
how can tackle, without fear and trembling. 
In order to give the student the best there 
is in the way of a description as to 
how it should be done, the following which 
is extracted from Hillick's book will be 
found as good, and more easily under- 
stood than any that could be desired. 

111. "For warmth and brilliancy of 
color effects, carmine among a long list 
of gorgeous reds is without a rival. Car- 
mine is a glaze color exclusively, and the 
splendor of its radiance is governed ex- 
clusively by the ground color. Carmine, 
along with its near relatives of the red 
order, has a decided tendency to face, flake 
and chip off. The ground color, therefore, 
must in addition to being faultless in color, 
density and surface features, be possessed 
of great enduring qualities. It must be 
accepted as a rule worthy of practice, that 
the ground colors for the general order of 
reds, should be mixed with a binder of 



CARRIAGE PAINTIXG 111 

varnish sufficiently strong to impart to 
them when dry, at least a faint gloss— an 
eggshell gloss. A ground so prepared is 
fortified to counteract the fading and flak- 
ing properties of such of the red,s as are 
used as glaze colors. " 

112. "To secure a first class job of 
light carmine, bring the surface level and 
smooth, and then apply a coat of peach 
blow color, made of white and some of 
the ordinary reds. Over this apply a 
coat of deep English Vermilion, using the 
Vermilion stoutly, charged with rubbing 
varnish. Polish this coat when dry with 
curled hair, and apply a second coat of the 
Vermilion, adding a sufficiency of varnish 
to convert the mixture to the color and var- 
nish class. At the proper time this coat 
should preferably be rubbed lightly with 
pumice stone and water. Next apply a 
coat of clear rubbing varnish, which in 
in due time also demands rubbing with 
pumice stone and water. Then to rubbing 



112 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

varnish, elastic or quick, hard drying, as 
the size of the surface may dictate, add 
enough No. 40 carmine to fully stain the 
liquid, say % of an ounce to one. full pint 
of varnish (many first class painters use 
% an ounce of carmine to one pint of var- 
nish), and apply to the surface, be it body 
or gear with a soft badger or bristle brush, 
For a less expensive job omit the coat of 
clear rubbing varnish and apply the car- 
mine directly to the vermilion." 

113. "A method easier to carry into 
execution in painting a carmine job, con- 
sists in adding a little carmine to the last 
coat of vermilion color and varnish. This 
coat is rubbed with curled hair, then car- 
mine is added to varnish, as in the first 
method, after which a small quantity of 
vermilion is put in to give the mixture 
opacity or covering power. Clouding and 
such other incidental imperfections to be 
considered in connection with the work of 
one not really an expert in the manipula- 



CARKIAGE PAINTING 113 

tion of glaze colors is thereby avoided. 
For a darker carmine use a ground of 
flamingo red, carmine red (a solid color), 
road cart red, kalliston red, or permanent 
scarlet dark shade, the latter requiring a 
light vermilion ground. 

114. "In applying carmine to wheels it 
is advisable to flow the whole wheel at 
once instead of doing them in sections, as 
by this practice, a cleaner, clearer and more 
satisfactory job is secured. For the gear 
do the whole of one end of it, before wip- 
ing up, and then the final end, finishing with 
the reach and sidebars. To obtain the real 
purple and fine linen of carmine effects, 
the color and varnish requires to be flowed 
on freely and quickly, and promptly slicked 
up. Pottering and sectional patching up 
invite inferior results." 

The above gives in a nutshell what is 
considered the most difficult of all color 
laying by the carriage trade. It gives the 
best way and also the next best to it, which 



114 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

is very good, but cannot turn out such 
work as only the first will. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XVII. 

110. What is said of Carmine glaze 
over English Vermilion! 

111. How should the grounds be pre- 
pared for Carmine glaze? 

112. Give further descriptions of it? 

113. Is there not an easier method of 
doing Carmine glaze! 

114. Which is the best method of ap- 
plying Carmine glaze to wheels and run- 
ning gears? 

LESSON XVIII. 

REDS CONTINUED AND YELLOWS. 

115. There are a number of various 
reds mostly of coal tar origin, some of 
which made from paralin and madder lake 
are nearly permanent; others again made 
from cheaper aniline colors are more or 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 115 

less fugitive. As all are improved in tone 
by the use of ground colors, and as the 
manufacturers usually prepare the ground 
color to go with their highly seasoned 
named goods such as Oriental red, Otto- 
man, Flamingo, etc., etc.; each manufac- 
turer with a long list of proprietary names.; 
it will be well to use such grounds according 
to directions, and it will be found that 
nearly the whole list will require over the 
proper ground, a color coat plus a color 
and varnish coat over it ; in no case should 
the finishing coat be a dead one. 

116. The dark solid iron reds such as 
Indian, Tuscan, etc., come usually in two 
shades, pale and dark. They are seldom 
used by themselves but usually as 
grounds for some of the lakes, or as 
grounds for the so-called wine colors. The 
manufacturers also furnish the ground 
colors ready prepared to suit the shades 
of wine colors they send out, better results 
will be obtained in the long run by using 



116 CARKIAGE PAINTING 

the grounds which are especially prepared 
for them. They should be finished up in 
color and varnish as related in the proceed- 
ing paragraph. 

117. The Red and Red Brown Lakes 
form an important item of the carriage 
painter's stock of red pigments. All colors 
designated as Lakes are used only as glaz- 
ing colors to enrich the ground or solid 
colors over which they are placed. Many 
of them that were considered indispens- 
able a generation ago and which are yet 
used to some extent are anything but per- 
manent, and why they are used at all is a 
mystery. There are so many of the lakes 
now to be had that are, or may be desig- 
nated as permanent, being made from ali- 
zarin from which is derived madder lake 
that there is no excuse for using the un- 
dependable sorts. All should be used with 
considerable varnish as noted in para- 
graph 115. Under the "Pure Food" law 
if they are made from Alizarin, or contain 



CAKKIAGE PAINTING 117 

the equivalent of madder lake that they 
should, the label will tell of it and no one 
need err in buying them blindly. Most of 
them carry some proprietary name, many 
going under different names that are iden- 
tical, when made by different firms. The 
mostly used ones are Munich lake, maroon 
lake, carmine lake, carriage part lake, 
Chatenne or Cramoisi lake, etc.; the list 
might be indefinitely enlarged without add- 
ing much to it but names however. 

THE YELLOWS. 

118. Are much employed in the paint- 
ing of running gears of vehicles, and in au- 
tomobile and wagon painting are used for 
bodies as well. They are pleasing as well 
as showy, if well balanced up with some 
complementary and harmonious colors. 
They require a somewhat different hand- 
ling all the way through the job in order 
to obtain the best results from them. 

119, The yellow pigments no matter of 



118 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

what tone they may be should be placed 
over a white lead base, and the running gear 
should be painted with keg lead thinned 
half linseed oil, half turpentine and with 
a tablespoonful of good drying japan to 
the pint of color mixture. The first coat 
of it over priming should be sandpapered 
with No. 1 paper, puttied over with white 
putty. The putty should be so carefully 
well done as to need no sandpapering. A 
second coat of the same lead, but carrying a 
trifle more linseed oil should be given but 
applied with a camel's hair brush, so as to 
lay the color smooth enough to not need 
sanding. Over this finish up with a color 
coat of the yellow, and another of color and 
varnish. 

120. For wagons usually the same treat- 
ment is to follow for bodies, but if a fine 
job is wanted and these were rough stuffed 
then wash off the oil from keg lead with 
turpentine or benzine, and bind the lead in 
rubbing varnish and apply two coats of 



CAKKIAGE PAINTING 119 

the white with a camel's hair brush. Pol- 
ish after each coat with clean curled hair. 
Then put on two coats of the yellow color, 
the last being color and varnish. Arlot the 
Parisian author and a recognized author- 
ity in coach painting, says that this under- 
pinning with white prevents the fading of 
the yellows from showing, and Hillick en- 
dorses it for doing the same thing here, 
and hundreds of others not so well known 
but who >are entitled to consideration do 
the same, so it must be 0. K. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XVIII. 

115. What is said about the use of the 
proprietary reds in carriage painting? 

116. What is said about the use of the 
dark reds, Indian, Tuscan and wine colors ? 

117. What are the various red and 
brown lakes and how should they be 
treated? 

118. What is said of the yellow group 
of pigments in a general way? 



120 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

119. How should the yellow pigments 
be applied to the running gears? 

120. How should they be applied to the 
bodies of carriages and wagons! 

LESSON XIX. 

THE WHITES. 

121. This will end up the color coats 
on the list, and while it comes last is by 
no means the least important. It is used 
in the painting of all kinds of business 
wagons, and for all kinds of uses including 
milk wagons which are usually painted 
white. Busses, hearses for children, all 
must be painted white, and white will 
be the foundation upon which some very 
showy business wagon ornamentation and 
lettering will be done. 

122. 'This lesson is entitled the whites, 
a plural designation which may be mis- 
leading, as some may suppose that any and 
all whites may, or can be used in carriage 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 121 

painting. The plural in this case must 
apply to white lead or to the many makes 
of it including the flake, whites, kremitz 
and Florence white, all of them white lead 
pure and simple. Zinc white however 
useful it may be in other lines of painting 
should never be used in carriage work. As 
adjuncts in preparing some special mix- 
tures a little whiting or carbonate of lime 
is made use of— but not as a coloring 
agent— on the contrary. Its use is simply 
a mechanical one. 

123. The process of progression of the 
painting of a white job is somewhat simi- 
lar to that described in the previous les- 
son for yellow— only more so. The job 
should be more thoroughly well cleaned of 
all spots and stains before the priming 
begins, than for the other colors. When 
it has been properly cleaned, proceed to 
give it a coat of raw linseed oil, well and 
uniformly brushed in. "When dry sand- 
paper it also uniformly alike. Then pro- 



122 CAKRIAGE PAINTING 

ceed to put on a coat of what may be 
termed second priming of keg lead thinned 
with % linseed oil to % turpentine with a 
teaspoonful of light japan to a quart of 
the primer. 

124. The puttying should be put on 
over this first coat of white. The putty 
should be made from white lead, dry and 
pale rubbing varnish 1 part and gold size 
japan 2 parts. This putty for stopping 
holes may be used considerably stiff er than 
for general puttying. For glazing it must 
be reduced to the proper consistency of 
thinness with turpentine. 

125. A second coat of what may be 
called the priming white coat very similar 
to the first and thinned with t& of raw lin- 
seed oil to if of turpentine should now be 
given the job, after the putty has been 
properly sandpapered and dusted. 

126. For most purposes the job can be 
surfaced, and the coloring carried along 
without the special rough stuffing de- 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 123 

scribed heretofore, although on the very 
best work it is still followed, but the follow- 
ing system will give nearly as good re- 
sults : mix flake white or any other special 
white lead of great body and good color, 
bind it with hard drying finishing varnish, 
thinning it with turpentine to reduce it to 
a good brushing consistency, applying two 
coats of it with care in order to have no 
brush marks showing. After this give a 
coat of hard drying finishing varnish to 
which has been added sufficient white lead 
to kill the yellow of the varnish. This 
coat should be flowed on full. When dry 
it should be rubbed with pumice stone and 
water, and after cleaning give another coat 
of color and varnish which should also be 
rubbed and cleaned as the other, and an- 
other coat of color and varnish applied. 
This is usually enough to produce a 
smooth, solid, clean surface of good lustre. 
If it is desired to stripe, letter or ornament 



124 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

over this it can be done, and pencil var- 
nished over such. 

127. Where gold or any other leaf gild- 
ing is to be done, the finishing coat should 
be flat or very nearly so, as otherwise it 
will be next to impossible to prevent the 
leaf adhering to the varnished surface. It 
will be better to let the gloss coat remain 
until it has had time to dry hard, not less 
than a week to 10 days, then rub with 
pumice and water, then ornament over 
that and polish when dry with rotten stone 
and sweet oil. For cleaning up the oil, 
dust some wheat flour over it and clean up 
with a soft duster, wiping off with silk 
cloth. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XIX. 

121. What is said of the whites in 
general ? 

122. What are the white pigments use- 
ful in carriage painting? 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 125 

123. How should the priming be done 
on a white job? 

124. How is the putty made and ap- 
plied? 

125. IVhat is said of second coat lead 
priming! 

126. How is a white job colored and 
finished without rough stuff? 

127. How is the ornamenting done on 
a white job? 

LESSON XX. 

THE ORNAMENTING. 

128. Many vehicles are finished plain 
without any kind of ornaments, but many 
again are striped and otherwise orna- 
mented and business wagons sometimes 
very highly so and are lettered, also serv- 
ing as an ambulant advertisement to the 
firm in whose service they are employed 
and no doubt many times paying for them 
selves in effective and far reaching adver- 



126 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

tising. There is no doubt now in the 
mind of advertisers that money expended 
on good wagon advertising pays better 
than in any other advertising agency, as 
it forces itself upon all classes of people 
if it has been well done and frequently 
upon many who would never look at news- 
paper advertising. 

129. It is usual to go ahead and varnish 
and finish a job with varnish before the 
ornamentation takes place, and it may 
seem strange that the details are here 
given ahead of time as it were before 
the finishing process has taken place. It 
really matters little about that when it is 
understood before hand. The reason why 
it is here given is that it is frequently the 
case that when jobs that are simply orna- 
mented with striping which are not se- 
riously dulled by the varnishing may be 
striped and ornamented at this stage of 
the finish, and the final coat of varnish 
.given over it. It matters but little really 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 127 

as to when the details are given and tEe 
operation can be delayed until after the 
final varnishing has been given. 

STRIPING. 

130. The striping is the main ornamen- 
tation given all vehicles that are orna- 
mented at all and frequently consists ex- 
clusively of that. It is really the most 
difficult of all the rest, for if it is not well 
done it will show at a glance by the unev- 
enness of its lines, while mere ornaments 
may look fairly well even when the lines 
are not all perfectly true. It is therefore 
of the greatest importance that the ope- 
rator should have had some practice in or- 
der that he may have enough confidence to 
enable him to produce perfect lines. This 
confidence can only be acquired by prac- 
tice, and while not very difficult, no one ever 
drops into it without practice, and some re- 
quire lots of it before they can trust them- 
selves to do it right. To the experienced 



128 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

it is as easy as falling off a log, as the say- 
ing is, and some of these frequently do ex- 
cellent work when they could hardly walk 
straight from intoxication, but then they 
are experienced, and it has become second 
nature to them to make perfect straight 
lines of any widths. 

131. Fig. No. 9 gives the usual shape of 
striping brushes. For the lighter weight 
colors camel's hair will be found the best 
for use, and for the heavy colors such as 
flake white and English vermilion the sable 
and ox hair stripers of the same shape will 
be found better as they will not sag under 
the weight as readily as the others. Fig. 
No. 12 gives the shape of the so called 
sword or dagger striper for making fine 
lines with. Many prefer to make them 
themselves from the larger sized striping 
brushes which they break open and gradu- 
ate to suit themselves, placing the hair into 
a red cedar stick which is split in the cen- 
ter and which when properly filled is tied 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 129 

around above the split, and a handle is 
whittled from above the tie. 

132. The material used for striping 
may cover the whole field of color, but in 
actual practice the colors are not numerous 
for the reason that but few are sufficiently 
opaque as to make it possible to make a 
good stripe with one coat. White lead or 
rather flake white on extra good bodied 
white lead and the chrome yellows, are ex- 
cellent bodied colors and also pale English 
vermilion. The above colors for striping 
over black will cover in one coat. For strip- 
ing over lighter colors however a much 
larger number of fairly well bodied pig- 
ments can be used which would be unavail- 
able over a very dark ground. 

133. The thinners have a great deal to 
do as to the proper working of the colors 
in striping. Each color really requires a 
somewhat differ ent manner of thining. 
Linseed oil is not the best medium to thin 
striping colors with as the flow will be 



130 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

rather uneven and while it will not be pos- 
sible to present an absolutely perfect rem- 
edy a mixture of varnish, japan and tur- 
pentine in various proportions to suit the 
colors being used will in a great degree 
help out. When oil has to be used with 
some colors always mix it with quick rub- 
bing varnish. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XX. 

128. "What is said concerning the orna- 
mentation of vehicles! 

129. What reason is given for present- 
ing the subject of ornamentation before 
the final varnishing. 

130. What is said of striping in a gen- 
eral way? 

131. What tools are required for strip- 
ing? 

132. What material is used and how 
should it be mixed? 

133. How should the colors be mixed 
for striping? 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 131 

LESSON XXL 

ORNAMENTING CONTINUED. 

134. The striper is now ready with pen- 
cil, material and with a few previous trials 
it is hoped with sufficient experience to go 
ahead and try his luck. He will be called 
upon to make the following named stripes : 

1. Hair line— the finest made. 

2. Fine line— the next finest. 

3. Stout line— a medium fine line. 

4. Round line— nearly double the size 
of 3. 

5. Narrow stripe— nearly double the 
size of 4. 

6. Heavy stripe— nearly double the size 
of 5. 

After that the striping may be called by 
the actual width it occupies in %, %, % or 
1 inch as the case may be. The extra wide 
stripes cannot usually be made at one 
stroke, so that the two outer edges are 
made, and the center may take care of it- 



132 CARKIAGE PAINTING 

self and if need be can be filled np after- 
ward solidly. 

135. In the larger wagons many fanci- 
ful lines are made— some consisting of 
double lines of equal widths, others again 
of a heavy center stripe bordered with 
two fine lines or that order reversed, a fine 
line in the center with a flanking of two 
heavy lines and any number of other com- 
binations. 

136. Wagons are usually ornamented 
with fine lines of striping made up into all 
sorts of fanciful designs with here and 
there an addition of free-hand lines in- 
terspaced with said short stripe work. 
This is much used on springs and corners 
of small panels, etc. 

137. Scrolls are also largely used in 
large wagons and omnibus work. The 
space that this manual can devote to the 
subject of ornamentation will hardly suf- 
fice to much more than mention it. The 
reader and student must take up some 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 133 

good book on decoration and on scrolling, 
and must expect to devote considerable 
time to study and practice before be can 
expect to become good or even passable at 
tbis work. Many very good carriage paint- 
ers never attain to any great degree of skill 
in ornamenting outside of being able to 
do some good striping, and it is not given 
to every one to become such— but it is any- 
thing but impossible to the one who will 
try, and is willing to give the proper time 
to the study. 

138. For this reason and also because 
it is possible to do ornamenting much 
quicker by the use of what is known as 
" Transfer paper" a great deal of this 
work is seldom done by hand at the pres- 
ent time, as it can be bought ready made 
much better than the average workman 
can do it, at much less figures— and any 
one can put them on. They come in gold 
and color and in an endless variety of sub- 
jects, including some of the largest sized 



134 CAEKIAGE PAINTING 

gold shaded scrolls, down to the finest of 
heraldic ornaments, gold corners, breaks 
and even lines and lettering. These orna- 
ments are printed npon a paper which has 
been sized with a preparation that swells 
and slips off when it has been wetted on 
the back. The places on the job which they 
are to occupy must be carefully marked 
out, and the transfer which has been traced 
over with varnish should be applied and 
held tightly against it and well smoothed 
out, then dampened on the back with clean 
water and a sponge, when in a few minutes 
the paper will slip out and leave the printed 
design upon the vehicle. It will remind 
the average workman of his boyhood days 
when he used to dally with decalcomanie 
designs as they were then called. 

By the help of these transfers the aver- 
age workmen, especially those working in 
country repair shops need not be afraid 
to tackle any kind of ornamental work, 
and by aid of catalogues of firms handling 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 135 

carriage-transfers he will be able to tell in 
a few minutes just exactly how much the 
ornamentation will cost— which would 
hardly be possible except in shops where 
the original building of such vehicles ie 
made a specialty of. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXL 

134. What are the various stripes 
named ? 

135. What is said about the combina- 
tion of stripes? 

136. Where are the combinations of 
stripes and free hand ornaments princi- 
pally used? 

137. What is said of scrolls and other 
ornaments ? 

138. What use is made of transfer or- 
naments on carriage and wagon work ? 



136 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

LESSON XXII. 

LETTERING ON WAGONS. 

139. Lettering may well be reckoned as 
a part of the embellishment or ornamen- 
tation of a vehicle. Either in plain colors 
surrounded by a becoming color setting, 
or done in colors plain or shaded there is 
much room for artistic display, not only in 
the execution of the lettering itself but in 
the proper selections of the colors used in 
doing the work. 

140. All that has been said as to colors 
and the mixing of them is applicable to 
"lettering" as well as to striping and 
other ornamentation with the exception 
that the brushes of course will be letter- 
ing brushes of the kind and shape suitable 
for the same kind of work anywhere else, 
as there is no difference in the execution 
of the same— only that a little more pains 
must be exercised in order that it may be 
done with absolute cleanness. 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 137 

141. Some styles of lettering look good 
on wagon painting, others again do not. 
It is possible to use styles of lettering upon 
a sign which is stationary, that can be read 
readily by a person who is walking towards 
it, or past it, which if placed upon a wagon 
passing him on the run perhaps would ap- 
pear illegible to him. Therefore many of 
the ornamental alphabets which are 
crowded into the inside of the various 
books on lettering are totally unsuited for 
wagon lettering. Plain block, either capi- 
tals, or lower case or the same shaded, look 
best. Even the Romans which are so ele- 
gant in form do not do well unless given a 
much heavier thin stem than usual. 

142. Gold work is always in good taste 
and looks well with any of the dark colors, 
and even with whites and other light tints 
when edged up with some darker color to 
enhance the contrast between them and the 
ground color. It will be unnecessary to 
go into details as to how to gild properly, 



138 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

as there is not enough space to do so, 
neither to give an extended lesson as to 
how to do the lettering. Excellent books 
upon the subject are being published and 
one of them "Atkinson's" with " ques- 
tions" which makes it a valuable aid to 
students, or for use as a book of reference, 
and the student who desires to learn this 
branch of trade and which really is a sepa- 
rate one from carriage painting proper— 
can do no better than to procure a copy 
of it. 

143. Monograms are frequently painted 
in colors and gold on panels of coaches 
and vehicles, and in large and fancy colored 
schemes on business wagons. This re- 
quires considerable skill in order to prop- 
erly balance the various letters. The rule 
is that the family name letter shall always 
be the most prominent, then the first sur- 
name and the others if any, to follow in 
importance— the above of course applies 
to a one name monogram. In business 



CARKIAGE PAINTING 139 

monograms the letters of two or three 
partners should be very nearly of equal 
prominence, and the Co. across or entwined 
between. It of course depends somewhat 
upon the prominence of the partners, and 
a junior with little capital in the business 
is not entitled to the same prominence as 
the senior who may own nearly all the 
business. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXII. 

139. What is said of lettering on wag- 
ons in general? 

140. What tools and material are used 
in lettering! 

141. What are the best letters to use 
on wagon lettering? 

142. What is said about gold work on 
vehicles ? 

143. How should monograms be gotten 
up? 



140 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

LESSON XXIII. 

VARNISHES AND VARNISHING. 

144. The varnishes used in carriage 
painting of whatever sort can be placed in 
two classes— hard drying and elastic. The 
first or hard drying class could also be des- 
ignated as quick drying— for the two 
usually go together although not always so 
but as a rule the elastic sorts are slower 
in drying than the hard drying sorts. Be- 
sides the above divisions varnishes may 
be divided into color mixing varnishes, rub- 
bing varnishes, gear varnishes and finish- 
ing, each of which being graded as hard or 
elastic and also of many qualities as to the 
composition and value of the gums enter- 
ing it. 

145. Varnishes are never prepared by 
the carriage painter as in the old times, 
the processes being too intricate and the 
technical knowledge required >to make them 
too deep for the average workman. There- 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 141 

fore he now depends upon the varnish 
manufacturer for all the goods in that line 
that he needs. The manufacturers have 
kept in close touch with him and as fast 
as a new need has developed for a special 
varnish to fit it— such have been evolved 
by him after proper experimenting. Every 
manufacturer tries to cover the field of 
carriage painters' requirements fully and 
there are few such who make any attempt 
at catering to that branch of the varnish 
trade who do not list at least a dozen or 
two of separate carriage varnishes from 
quick rubbing to wearing body. 

146. The rubbing varnishes as the name 
indicates are intermediate in their use in 
carriage work. They are used exclusively 
in surfacing up the colored job and pre- 
paring it for the application of the finish- 
ing coat. Its application requires skill and 
a good knowledge of how to judge of the 
surface. The rubbing coats should never 
be skimpted on nor skinned, for as sure as 



142 CAERIAGE PAINTING 

it is not given full the dust pits will surely 
show while if properly put on these will be 
absorbed and will not show. 

147. It is usual to give the job two coats 
of rubbing varnish and a third one called 
the finishing rubbing coat, but from the 
first to the last as great care must be ex- 
ercised in their application as possible. 
Let them be full to the limit as only full 
coats will give that proper rounding out 
which is brought out to full perfection by 
the flowing finishing coat. It is the only 
way to apply varnish which will prevent 
the showing of brush marks. 

148. The best devices upon which to do 
body varnishing is upon stands which can 
be titled to any angle desired. Of course 
all the large shops are equipped with a 
variety of tilting stands to suit their spe- 
cial requirements. Any handy mechanic 
can readily make them. 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 143 

SURFACING THE RUBBING VARNISH COATS. 

149. The job it is supposed has been 
given the full length of time required for 
the proper drying of the coats according 
to the manufacturer's directions which are 
usually placed upon the cans containing 
the rubbing varnish; then it is ready for 
the surfacing. In order to do this work 
advantageously and with the least waste 
of time and labor, everything required for 
its performance should be placed so it can 
readily be reached. Galvanized iron pails 
to hold the water, some good sheep's wool 
sponges and chamois skins. Felt rubbing 
pads and a box containing or 00 pul- 
verized pumice stone. The water used 
should be cistern water and soft. If at all 
hard, some washing soda, or carbonate of 
soda should be put into it in order to break 
its hardness. One teaspoonful will be 
enough for the purpose to the pailful of 
water. 



144 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXIII. 

144. What is said of varnishes in a 
general way? 

145. What various grades of varnishes 
are used in carriage painting? 

146. How should the rubbing varnish 
coats be put on? 

147. How many coats of rubbing var- 
nish are usually required? 

148. What is said of the tilting stands? 

149. What tools are required for sur- 
facing rubbing varnish? 

LESSON XXIV. 

VARNISHING CONTINUED. 

150. The surface of the job to be rubbed 
should be first washed with clean water. 
Then take up the rubbing pad and dip it 
lightly in clear water then afterward into 
the powdered pumice stone then over to 
the surface to be rubbed. The rubbing 
should be done lightly at first and the pres- 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 145 

sure gradually increased until the full 
force allowable is applied. The mould- 
ings and outer edges should be rubbed 
first and the work proceed on toward the 
center, where it is finished. It is a hard 
matter to state exactly "how to rub" just 
right, nothing but experience can teach 
that. A good rule is to rub lightly over 
the first coat of rubbing varnsh, increas- 
ing the pressure on the second and so on 
to the third or fourth or as many coats as 
are given sometimes. Too much pumice 
stone or too much water should be avoided 
as much as possible nor should the pumice 
stone be allowed to dry upon the surface. 

151. The rubbed surface should be 
washed with clean water and a sponge as 
soon as the rubbing is done in that part 
and a change is made to rub another por- 
tion ; in that way there will be no chance of 
the pumice drying on the job. Bear in 
mind to do the work evenly and uniformly 
all over alike including the corners, etc. 



146 CAEMAGE PAINTING 

"When one is able to do that he is then fully 
entitled to the distinction of being called 
a good rubber which by the way is a title 
which does not fit the green one as a rule, 
for the good rubber usually is made but 
not created, nor does he drop into it as a 
drop of rain to the earth. 

152. After the job has been rubbed all 
over, a general cleaning up should take 
place. To do this properly, every chamois 
skin and sponge as well as the water must 
be absolutely clean, and used for that pur- 
pose only, and as soon as the washing and 
cleaning has been done, they should be 
rinsed beyond a doubt as to their cleanness 
and stored away in a dust-proof closet. 
This cleaning must be done first on the in- 
side of the job and every part of it must 
be washed free of grit, or the finishing flow- 
ing coat will not be as good as it should, 
therefore there cannot be too much said in 
recommending absolute thoroughness in its 
performance. The flowing varnish is 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 147 

pretty sure to find every speck of grit and 
to bring the same in full sight or to roll it 
around and scratch. 

153. The flowing coat of finishing var- 
nish should always be given a job as soon 
as it is dry from the final washing and 
cleaning up after the rubbing. If for any 
reason it should have to be left overnight 
before the varnishing takes place it should 
receive a light rubbing the next day before 
it is applied. The reason for this is that 
the surface will be scummed over with a 
light coat of something caused by oxida- 
tion, and which will greatly hinder the good 
work intended by giving the job its final 
coating. 

154. To resume into a few rules the 
pith of good rubbing as they have been 
given by Hillick they are given below: 

No. 1. Use roll or blocked broadcloth 
or felt rubbing pads. 

No. 2. Direct the rubbing strokes all in 
one direction and lengthwise of the panels. 



148 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

No. 3. Avoid the excessive use of 
pumice stone or water and indulge in not 
too heavily applied pressure of the rub- 
bing cloth. Moderate pressure uniformly 
sustained, is the correct practice- 
No. 4. Maintain constantly and at all 
times, a conspicuously clean washing up 
kit; and in washing the surface do not 
stop short of having it unmistakably and 
shiningly clean. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXIV. 

150. How should the rubbing be done? 

151. How should the powdered pumice 
stone be cleaned up? 

152. What is said of the final cleaning 
up? 

153. Should a job be cleaned up very 
long before the flowing finishing coat is 
given ? 

154. Kepeat the four rules giren for 
doing good rubbing. 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 149 

LESSON XXV. 

VARNISHING CONTINUED. 

155. The proper location of a varnish 
room for finishing coat and indeed for all 
coats, is an all important item for it is 
next to impossible to do a good job of var- 
nishes if the proper conditions for doing 
good varnishing are not maintained. The 
requisites for a good varnish room are 
many. The most important one perhaps 
is the possibility of perfect cleanliness, and 
consequent freedom of dust and dirt. Then 
of nearly of as much importance a room 
where the proper amount of temperature 
and ventilation can be kept up at will. It 
has already been noticed that shops which 
can be steam heated are better than those 
heated by hot air or stoves. 

156. The floor of the varnish room 
should be tight, and then it can be swept 
up clean and given a coat of the patent 
oily coarse sweeping mixture which at- 



150 CARKIAGE PAINTING 

tract every particle of dust into itself in- 
stead of scatterng it into the atmosphere 
of the room to be later on deposited upon 
the varnished job. The next best thing is 
to take dampened sawdust, scatter it over 
the floor and carefully sweep it all up af- 
terwards. Never flood a floor but moisten 
it only. 

157. Every varnish room should have 
a thermometer to register the heat which 
should be looked after if it drops below 70° 
Fah. for varnish must not chill. A hy- 
grometer should also be in the room so that 
the amount of humidity can be ascertained. 
There should be a closet in the room in or- 
der to hold the varnishes to be used. These 
should have been maintained at the tem- 
perature at which they are to be used, 70° 
upward. Have some good strainer in the 
closet in order that the varnish may be 
strained before applying it. This may 
seem superfluous but it is the practice fol- 
lowed by most carriage varnishers— who 



CAKBIAGE PAINTING 151 

just will not take any chances and for good 
cause too. The trouble is a very slight 
one, and it insures against mishap. 

158. Before applying the varnish, the 
surface of the job should be carefully 
dusted over with a soft silk cloth. Next 
moss off the inside of the body and var- 
nish it, then proceed to varnish the outer 
part of the job. It is best to use a one 
inch flowing brush and run along the base 
of the panel and sides to do the rise of the 
seat as one proceeds to do the upper edge 
of the panel or box. Then take a 2 or 2% 
inch flowing brush and -flow on the varnish 
over the main surface. The brush should 
be held rather flat, and always pretty well 
filled with varnish. This will greatly help 
the equable distribution of the varnish 
over the whole surface. Every precau- 
tion and advantage must be taken advan- 
tage of in order not to have to touch the 
varnish any more than can be helped in 
order to have it free of brush marks and 



152 CAEEIAGE PAINTING 

if it is fully and properly flowed on it will 
need but little cross brushing to bring it 
to a perfect level. It is an axiom well 
known of every carriage varnisher that 
the least brushing of varnish will produce 
the maximum of lustre and mirror-like 
finish. 

159. In finishing the running gears 
there will not be nearly so much trouble as 
over the finishing of the bodies, as they are 
more or less rounded and angular, and 
they take on a fine lustre but it requires 
skill nevertheless. The greatest care must 
be exercised in washing and cleaning up, 
as bolts and nuts and closely angled irons 
make it difficult to get at the parts. After 
the rubbing, a small syringe can be utilized 
to good advantage in squirting out the 
pumince stone from its hiding places and 
it will give the proper force to hoist and 
wash them away, after drying and care- 
ful dusting. Below Hillick's way of put- 
ting on the finishing coat on gears and 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 153 

wheels is given in his own words: "In 
finishing the gear begin at the front axle 
and proceed to flow the whole front end be- 
fore wiping up. This gives the varnish 
a chance to take its position on the sur- 
face, and the wiping up serves to level out 
the inequalities and remove the surplus. 
After the front, the rear, then the reach 
and last the side bars if any. A brush 
should be kept solely for wiping up the 
underside of axles, head blocks, spring 
bars, side bars, etc. In many factory 
shops the finishers wipe such parts with 
the palm of their hands. The varnish 
stripings are thus caught by the hand 
and distributed in the form of a glaze to 
the parts in question." 

160. "In varnishing wheels, which are 
always included in the term running gears, 
slip the wheel upon the revolving jack, and 
standing with the left side nearest the 
wheel and partly facing it, begin by flow- 
ing the sides and face of the spokes, reacK- 



154 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

ing the brush well over to the back surface 
of the spokes. Then flow front of hub. 
Next the inside and face of the felloe. Now 
whirl the wheel so that its rear surface 
takes the place of the front. Catch up and 
close in with varnish all strips on the rear 
surface of spokes not flowed when the 
sides were done. Then flow rear of hub 
and lastly the back surface of the felloe. 
Reverse the position of wheel and slick up 
all places needing it and set away on a sec- 
ond wheel jack, giving the wheel a sharp 
spin necessary to flow the wheel properly. 
Four wheel jacks are necessary. . . . 
When applying rubbing varnish it is ad- 
visable to flow not more than six or eight 
spokes before wiping up." 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXV. 

155. What is said about the proper req- 
uisites which should be in the finishing 
varnish room? 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 155 

156. What is said concerning the treat- 
ment of the floor of the varnish room? 

157. What tools and appliances are 
necessary for best work in applying finish- 
ing varnish? 

158. How should the flowing finishing 
coat be applied to bodies? 

159. How should the running gear be 
finished ? 

160. What is the best manner of finish- 
ing the wheels? 

LESSON XXVI. 

REPAINTING OLD JOBS. 

161. The country shop has really more 
repainting of vehicles to do than the ac- 
tual painting of new vehicles. It is not 
to be supposed that very much of this re- 
painting is actually done from the ground 
up as described in the previous lessons. 
Indeed, there is but little of that done, and 
when it is it no wise would differ much 
from the description given except that 



156 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

there is the burning off and cleaning up of 
the old paint to be attended to extra. 
There are several cheap and hurry ways 
of doing this " Crushing up" of vehicles 
in order to restore them to a presentable 
condition and gave them back a portion of 
the old lustre. 

161. Much of the repair work done in 
country shops is really only ' * touch up and 
varnish. " This of course will only apply 
to vehicles which are not in very bad 
shape. Where there is much room so that 
the jobs can be done "as they are" with- 
out the having to take them to pieces and 
a sufficient number of them can be done 
at the same time, this sort of work will 
pay very well, as the cleaning up will 
usually take up as much time as all the 
rest of the work, and some cheap man or 
cub can be used to good advantage at that. 
Of course the shafts, wheels and some- 
times the tops will have to be removed for 
easier cleaning and ease of getting at the 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 157 

jobs, but that does not take long in either 
the taking off or putting back on. 

162. Benzine is the best dissolvent of 
the grease and dirt that accumulates about 
wheel and axles and the smivings found 
elsewhere are usually of the same category 
having been carried there in some way. 
The loose inside traps, as carpets, seat 
cushings, etc., should be removed and 
placed where they will be easily found and 
the whole carefully dusted off and cleaned 
up. Then give the bodies a slight rubbing 
with pumice stone and water which must 
be well rinsed off and the running gears 
must also be well washed and dried with 
chamois skin. 

163. One of the greatest troubles 
usually encountered is in matching up 
colors for a touch up job. This will exer- 
cise the ingenuity of the average painter. 
He will gain some experience in this line 
with time but he is likely to make some 
mistakes at first for it is not only match- 



158 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

ing the original colors which were put on 
the job when new which he has to cater 
to, but he must make an allowance for fad- 
ing which in some of the reds and yellows 
may amount to a good deal. Then again 
the fading is not universally alike owing 
to some part of the job being better pro- 
tected from sunlight than others, so that 
there is a Joseph's coat sort of uniformity 
to cover up. There is one rule in matching 
that will help one to some extent in his di- 
lemma: A color mixed to dry with a 
good gloss will reflect more light than 
it absorbs, and a flat will absorb more 
than it gives out, so that the colors 
should be tested upon some part of the 
job in order to ascertain its nearness to 
the original as it is then. Even with a 
full quota of varnish most colors are likely 
to dry out lighter than they look when first 
put on. 

164. When the color is satisfactory in 
tone, proceed to touch up the felloes and 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 159 

all other places on the job from which the 
color has been worn away to the bare 
wood, with lead paint thinned with linseed 
oil to which has been added a little japan. 
This tonching np of the bare places should 
have been attended to as soon as cleaned 
in order that it may be nearly dry by the 
time the colors are prepared for use in the 
touch up. As soon as set proceed to go 
over them with the color, and varnish touch 
up. Then go over the dressing of the top 
curtains and dash Hoards. Then finish by 
varnishing the inside, and by a good flow- 
ing coat on body and gears. 

165. Many jobs however require to be 
painted all over with one coat of color and 
varnish and afterwards to be flowed var- 
nished. If there is any striping this will 
of course have to be done over if required, 
otherwise it will take but little more time 
to go over the job than to match up a touch 
up of color varnish. The operator must 
be very careful not to cut in too deep in 



160 CARRIAGE PAINTING 

the rubbing with pumice stone and water, 
as otherwise a lot of fine cracks will be 
likely to show up, so he must only give a 
very light rubbing. 

166. But many old jobs are brought to 
the shop to be repainted which are in very 
bad shape and which really should be 
burned off, and receive a complete renewal 
of the painting. 

But the owners will not stand for the 
cost and will ask the painter to do the best 
he can— but cut expense out of it. There 
is no good way to do this and at best the 
whole method given is but a makeshift. If 
the job is badly cracked and fissured, the 
best thing short of burning it off is to 
scrape it off with a two inch scraper down 
to the undercoats, then coat this over with 
rubbing varnish, rub it with pumice and 
water, or brick and water avoiding a close 
touch to the wood. Next proceed to give 
the job a coat or two of lead color, and 
varnish. But there is nothing after all 



CARRIAGE PAINTING 161 

that will take the place of burning off all 
the old paint and varnish, and rebuilding 
all the paint structure from the ground up. 
It will cost a few dollars more it is true, 
and if the rig is in fair condition it will be 
better, much better in the end, and really 
the more economical, for the makeshift 
will be as bad as ever after a year or so. 

167. Taking care of "tops and dash- 
boards" while not particularly a painter's 
job, in the carriage factory, really becomes 
a part of it in repair shops. The car- 
riage trimmer may have to make some re- 
pairs in the way of replacing worn out 
parts, but after that, he turns it over to 
the painter, who must see to it that it is 
made to look as good as new, (if he can). 
Leather tops really require little more to 
keep them in good condition that be- 
ing washed with castile soap and soft 
water. There are numerous carriage dress- 
ings upon the market which preserve the 
enamel of the leather and rubber cloth 



162 CARKIAGE PAINTING 

used on carriage tops, and each giving full 
direction as to their application. All con- 
tain or should contain neatsfoot oil and 
tallow in their composition, in order to 
soften the leather and to prevent its crack- 
ing, but of course they do not carry an 
enamel with them. The addition of a little 
beeswax adds some lustre, but not as much 
as the average man likes to see. 

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXVI. 

161. What is said in a general way 
about the painting of carriages? 

162. Which is the best way to clean up 
an old job for color and varnish? 

163. How are colors for touch up work 
to be matched? 

164. How is the touching up done? 

' 165. How is one coat of color and var- 
nish, and one coat of varnish done? 

166. What is said about old jobs that 
are badly cracked? 

167. How should carriage tops and 
dashes be taken care of? 



INDEX 



A 

Page 

Amaranth red 34 

Artist's flat and round brushes 50, 51 

Artist's red sable brushes 53, 54 

B 

Basic principles of carriage painting 20, 21 

Blue group of colors 98-100, 105 

Glazing coats 103, 104 

Methods of compounding 98, 102 

Uniformity of 98 

Body Trestle 63, 64 

Bottle green 33 

Brewster's greens 33, 107 

Bronzes 39 

Brown group of colors 31, 100 

Principal uses of 100 

C 

Carbonate of lime (Whiting) 38. 39 

Carriage browns 32 

Carriage japan 41 

Chamois skins 39 

Chiselled varnish brush 44 

Chrome green 33, 105 

iii 



lv INDEX 

Coach painter's brush 46 

Color cards 35 

Color coats 96-98 

D 

Difficulties in striping 127, 128 

Drop black 30 

E 

English vermilions 108-110 

F 

Filling coats 26 

Finishing varnish brush 50, 51 

Flat varnish brush 46, 47 

G 

Gasoline torch ....'...* 56-60 

Green colors 33, 34-105 

Compounding of 34 

Tendency to separate 105 

Transparent Greens 106, 107 

Gold Leaf 39 

H 

How to apply colors 110-113 

Humidity of varnish room 150 

I 

Indian red 115 

Ivory black 30-99 



IXDEX v 

J 

Japans and varnishes 40, 41 

Japans for carriage work 41 

K 

Keg lead 37 

Knives, scraping 56-58 

Knives, putty 56, 57 

Knifing in Lead Coat 75 

L 

Lettering 52, 136 

Gold work 137, 138 

Pencils 52-54 

Various styles of 137 

Linseed oil 23 

Uses of in painting 23-27 

London smoke 102 

M 

Materials used in carriage painting 28-42 

Bone black 30 

Coach black 30, 99 

Drop black 30 

Gas black 30 

Ivory black 30-99 

Lamp black in oil 29 

Prussian blue 30, 31 

Monograms 138, 139 

N 
New jobs — Preparing for 65, 66 



INDEX 



Olive green 33 

Ornamental work 21, 125-127 

Advantages of 126 

P 

Painters' round duster 46 

Paris Green 33, 107 

Patent brush keeper 56, 60 

Pompeian red . 35 

Primer — What is the best 69 

Priming — Function of 65 

Lead and oil - 68 

Methods of 68-71 

Preparations for 67, 68 

When to prime 66 

Lead coats 71-75 

Rough stuffed 73 

Rub lead coat 74 

Knifing in lead coat 75 

Preparing for new jobs 65, 66 

Pumice stone 38 

Putty — Formulas for making 78-81 

Putty knives 56, 57 

Putties and puttying 77-81 

R 

Red and brown lakes 116 

Red group of colors 34, 107 

How to apply 110-113 

Sources of 107-115 

Uses of 107 



INDEX vii 

Red Oxides 35 

Repainting old jobs 155-162 

Benzine as a dissolvent 157 

Matching colors 157, 1 58 

Rough stuffing 86-95 

Formulas for making 88-90 

Materials for 87 

Method of applying 91-93 

Object of 86, 87 

Rubbing down 94, 95 

Running Gears — How to finish 152-154 

S 

Sandpapering — Rules for 81-83 

Scrolls 132 

Scraping knives 56-58 

Short reds 34 

Siennas — Raw and burnt 31 

Sponges 60-62 

Stripes 131, 132 

Striping 21-127 

Brushes for 128 

Difficulties in 127, 128 

Material for 129, 130 

Width of 131, 132 

Striping pencils 51-54 

Sword striping brush 54, 55 

T 

Thinners for colors 39 

Tools used in carriage painting 43-64 

Transfer ornaments 39 



vni INDEX 

Transfer paper — How to use 132-135 

Tuscan reds 34, 115 

U 

Ultramarine blue 31-102 

Umbers — Raw and burnt 31 

V 

Van Dyke Brown 31, 101 

Varnishes and varnishing 140-152 

Flowing coat 147 

Rubbing 141-147 

Rubbing coats 141, 142 

Rules for 147, 148, 152 

Surfacing 143-147 

Varnish room , . . . 149, 1 50 

Floor of 150 

Humidity of 150 

Location of 149 

Vermilion reds 34, 35 

Venetian red 35 

Vienna brown 101 

Volatile oils '. 40 



W 

Wagon work 132 

Wheel jack 61-63 

White group of colors 36, 120 

Progression of a white job 121-124 

Uses of in carriage painting 120, 121 

White lead 36 



INDEX 1X 



Y 



Yellow group of colors 36, 117 

For wagons 118} 119 

Methods of applying 117 > 118 

Uses of in carriage painting 117 

Yellow lakes for glazing 36 

Yellow ochres 



Z 

Zinc white • 181 



m U 193 L 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



021 470 369 5. 



